Persona: Loud Reflections
by Mr. Dusk
Summary: A Loud House/Persona crossover. After Lincoln gets a horrifying premonition, he's thrown into investigating a rumored mirror world to protect his family. (Artwork by Dieliala) THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN HALTED
1. Deadly Premonition

**A/N:** _Persona 5 can't come to the west quick enough and I started writing this while being caught up in the excitement and I'm not too sure how far I'll go with it. Characters are aged up to fit a more mature story, with Lincoln being sixteen. I'm sure you can figure out the ages of the rest of the cast from there. Anyone interested in beta reading, let me know in a PM, not in the reviews._

 _Now relax and enjoy the story._

 _ **Sunday, April 3rd, 2016**_

 **Evening**

It was thirteen minutes to midnight and Lincoln was struggling to stay awake as he sat at the foot of his bed. Across from him sat Lucy who was shuffling a deck of tarot cards in the middle of a small circle of lit candles on the floor of his bedroom. Lincoln couldn't really complain about the situation, he had promised his little sister that he'd participate in her fortune telling since she helped him with writing a poem for a creative writing assignment, but she never told him it'd take place _this_ late at night.

"Cut the deck." she suddenly said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Okay." Lincoln said as he did so.

She shuffled the cards one more time, then set the deck down in front of Lincoln. She took the top card of the deck and set it down. " **The Tower** is in the upright position." Lucy stated.

"Meaning?"

"Disaster, chaos is in your immediate future."

He shrugged, "What else is new?"

Lucy flipped over the next card, " **The Ten of Cups** is upside down, meaning the loss of family and misplacement of values...

"...right." Lincoln narrowed his eyes, "Lucy, do you really believe this stuff?"

"It would be foolish to completely trust a deck of cards, and it would be equally foolish to disregard them completely." she drew one more card, " **The Page of Swords** in the upright position. You will soon be challenged, and should embrace it by moving forward."

"Everyday is a challenge Lucy, especially in this house."

Lucy gave a heavy sigh, "Lincoln, I'd appreciate it if you would stop mocking my reading."

Lincoln sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry Lucy, it's late and I really don't think cards can predict the future."

Another sigh, "Oh well, it seems that your future is destined to just be the same chaos day in and day out. How disappointing."

"Okay then, well let's clean up then head for- ah!" Lincoln yelled as he felt a sharp pain in his temples, both of his hands shot to either one and pushed down in reaction.

 _"I am thou, thou art I."_ spoke a deep, mysterious voice.

"What?" Lincoln asked, "What are you?"

"Lincoln, are you okay?" Lucy asked.

Images of Lincoln's family flashed in his mind as he tightly shut his eyes. He saw all ten of his siblings and his parents surrounding him.

 _"Your loved ones are in danger, a terrible thing is coming."_

"What terrible thing? You're not making sense!" the boy yelled.

"Lincoln, stop, you're scaring me!"

 _"Will you be able to save them? Or will they fall victim to a gruesome fate?"_

The vivid visions violently assaulted Lincoln's mind. Images of his family members being attacked by creatures he could only explain as large masses of shadows with massive teeth and multiple arms with hands holding blades that were quickly coated with a dark red substance.

Lincoln shook his head, "No! No! Make it stop!"

"Lincoln!"

 _"Try as you might, but time is short."_

It was too unreal to be true, Lincoln started to hear them cry out for his help. He screamed. His voice rang out all through the house, waking up anyone who wasn't already woken by his yelling.

 _"And time waits for no one..."_

 **XxXxX**

Lincoln's sight was fuzzy as he found himself sitting in what looked like the living room of his house. This room, however, was _not_ the living room. Confusion started to build as Lincoln observed that everything in the room was blue. The walls, the furniture, and even the floors were tinted with an abundance of blue. Adding to that, the couch cushion he was now sitting on felt as though it was made of velvet material, much unlike the polyester he was used to. Finally, as if this room couldn't get any weirder, a very somber yet calming song could be heard being played on a piano with an accompanying singer, but the musicians were nowhere to be seen.

What could be seen however, was a very bizarre-looking, short, balding man with a long nose, white hair, and bulging eyes wearing a black suit and an unnerving smile that unnaturally stretched from ear to ear. This man sat in the armchair just left of Lincoln, and he was staring intensely at the boy as he clasped his fingers together in front of him.

"Welcome to the **Velvet Room**." the old man greeted with a deep, yet oddly soothing voice.

All the alarms went off in Lincoln's head at once, and panic gripped tight as he found he couldn't move his body. So many questions filed into his mind, most of them having to do with where he was and why he was there but the shock of the situation stunted his voice. Desperately, he managed to squeak out the words: "W-Who are you?"

"My apologies, I seemed to have frighten you." the small man remained seated and gave a small bow, "My name is **Igor** , I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

Lincoln observed the room again, gradually feeling less uneasy due to it looking just like the inside of his home aside from all the blue and velvet. The familiarity gave him a modest sense of safety, and the song helped soothe his initial anxiety, "Where am I? Is this a dream?" he asked.

"You could say that." answered the long-nosed man, "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter." he looked away from the boy and examined the room for himself, "The Velvet Room tends to change accordingly to accommodate our guests, and here we find ourselves in a family room meant for togetherness." he then looked back at Lincoln with his eerie smile, "It's quite rare for someone so young to be family-oriented."

"Maybe it's because my family is so big?" guessed the boy, "They take up quite a bit of my life."

Igor nodded, "Indeed, they appear to be very important to you, so much so that your **other self** woke up when it sensed the danger from your sister's tarot reading."

Lincoln eyed the old man suspiciously, "My _what_ woke up?"

"In the coming days, your other self will fully awaken. After that, you will return here."

"Wait, what did you mean by my 'other self'?"

"We can discuss the details later." the strange man said, dodging the question with a smile, "A small piece of it awoke when it sensed a terrible catastrophe happening to your family in the immediate future. If you don't stand against it, your family may meet a terrible fate."

"Hey, I don't like the sound of that!"

"Don't worry, it is my duty to provide assistance to our guests to ensure such a fate does not happen."

Lincoln tried to make sense with the information given, but was unsuccessful, "I still don't understand what's going on."

"That is fine, for now." Igor assured, "Although there is one more thing I should mention..."

"What's that?"

"My services are available only to those who have entered a contract in one way or another. Once you've entered this contract, I'll do everything in my power to help you. I'll also introduce you to my assistants, who unfortunately could not be present for your arrival. Until then, farewell..."

Lincoln felt lightheaded, and his vision began to fade again.

 **XxXxX**

The commotion caused by Lincoln's screaming had alerted the rest of the Loud family currently residing in the Loud House. The parents, along with Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lola, Lana, Lisa, and Lily rushed into Lincoln's room only to find him unconscious with Lucy trying to wake him up. After concluding that Lincoln was just scared by Lucy's tarot reading, Mr. and Mrs. Loud put Lincoln back in bed and everyone headed back to their respective rooms. Everyone, that is, except for Lynn who needed to use the bathroom first.

After doing her business, Lynn washed her hands and lazily eyed her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was past midnight by this time, which reminded the athlete about a game that her spooky sister told her about. It was a ritual game where someone stares into a mirror at midnight alone, with the lights off, and recite a chant to get their reflection to start moving on their own.

Thinking that it'd be fun to try for the hell of it, Lynn switched the lights off and made eye contact with her reflection, just faintly being able to see it in the dark. "How did that stupid thing go again?" she asked aloud, trying to refresh her memory on what Lucy instructed for the game. "Oh yeah!" she cleared her throat and began the chant:

"Persona! Persona! Come over here!"

Lynn stared at her reflection for a few minutes, but nothing happened. She grinned a bit smugly and turned away from the mirror, "What a load of bull! I can't wait to tell Lucy about this!" she said as she left the bathroom.

She didn't notice that her reflection was still facing her, or that it was reaching out towards her.


	2. The Persona Game

**A/N:** _Thank you all for the reviews and follows._

 _ **Monday, April 4th, 2016**_

 **Early Morning**

Lincoln awoke with a faint pounding in his head and he lightly grasped his forehead and gently massaged the strain away. The events of the previous night were still fresh in his mind: Lucy's tarot reading, the scary visions, and the odd dream with the weird room.

 _"What the heck happened?"_ Lincoln asked himself, _"Was that even real, or not? Am I going crazy?"_

These questions would have to wait until later as the analog clock in the boy's room reminded him that he had school today. Lincoln quickly got dressed and left his room, finding the hallway to be it's usual brand of chaos. Case in point, the twins Lola and Lana were having their daily duel to decide who was using the bathroom first while the sounds of rock 'n roll and heavy machinery were competing for dominance over the noise pollution.

"Good morning Lincoln." Lincoln flinched when he suddenly heard Lucy, who had somehow gotten behind him. She hung her head in shame, her long raven-hair covering her face and part of her chest, "I'm sorry that my reading frightened you last night. I hope you're not upset with me."

Lincoln pat her shoulder, "Don't worry about that Lucy, I'm okay! You all ready for school?"

Lucy gave her usual neutral look, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Close enough! See you in the car." with that, Lincoln leaned his head into the room with the youngest of the Louds. "Who's ready for school?"

Little Lily Loud approached, dressed up for school while carrying her blanket.

"Are you bringing your blanket again?"

Lily nodded with a smile, and walked past her older brother.

"You need a ride to the college Lisa?"

The young professor was at her workbench, operating some sort of giant laser. She shook her head without turning around, "Negative. My lectures are all finished for the semester, and all that's left is to grade final projects and exams if my students ever get them done. For now, I'm busying myself with breaking down dense elements."

"Well, good luck with that!" Lincoln left the room and-

"Heads up!" Lynn yelled from across the hall.

The Loud boy ducked as a baseball flew over his head and smacked the wall behind him, leaving a small dent where it hit. "Lynn, what gives?" he asked as he caught the ball when it bounced back.

Lynn ran up to her bro, standing just a head shorter than him, "Sorry Lincoln! Baseball season just started and I need to be on my A game if I'm gonna get scouted."

"Yeah I get that, but please don't try to put me in the ER." he says as he hands the ball to her.

"No promises!" with that, she threw the ball downstairs and chased after it.

Lincoln headed down the hall, seeing Lana tapping one foot impatiently in front of the bathroom door, he turned towards the sound of music.

"Nice jam, sis!" he yelled over the guitar solo.

"Thanks bro!" said Luna as she finished up, "Say, you don't mind if Luan and me take Vanzilla for the night, do ya?"

Lincoln shrugged, "I guess not, I'm not using it tonight. Where are you two going?"

Luan grinned, she was currently writing on some flash cards, "What do you call half a giggle?"

"We both got gigs dude!" the rocker announced.

Their brother smiled, "That's great! Where at?"

"At this new place that opened up last January, some coffeehouse called 'Coffee After Dusk'. It's only open at night."

"Thank goodness too, or else they'd have to call it 'Before Dusk'!" Luan laughs, "Get it?"

Lincoln, Luna, and Lana shared a groan. Lola was finished with her shower and Lana went in the second she walked out. Lola then went into the her room that used to be Lori and Leni's room.

"Anyway, we're gonna be gone for half the night. Mom and dad already said it was alright."

"Okay then, anything else I should know?"

"Nah, have fun at school Linc. Oh and hey, watch out for them kids with the pumped up kicks, alright?"

"Will do, see you two later!"

"Not if we see you first!" snarked Luan.

Lincoln walked to the other side of the hall and knocked on the door to Lola's room, "The car's leaving in about an hour Lola, how long are you going to be today?"

"Go away Lincoln!" his sister yelled from the other side of the door, "I'm trying to pick an outfit!"

"Yeah, and I don't want to be put in detention again just because you can't decide what to wear."

"I'll be out in a minute! Now go away or I'm telling dad!"

He shrugs, and turns towards the chuckling to his left. "Heh, what a prude." Lana said after getting out of her shower and neglecting to put on a towel.

Lincoln shielded his eyes and looked away, "Lana, go get dressed, we're leaving soon."

"Sure thing, prude." she said as she walked past.

"And stop using that word!"

When the coast was clear, Lincoln entered the bathroom himself. He opted not to shower and instead just brushed his teeth before heading downstairs.

"Hey son! Ready for some eggs 'n bacon?" Mr. Loud called from the kitchen.

"Just brushed my teeth dad."

"So what? That's no excuse to pass on Eggs A La Loud!"

Lincoln couldn't deny that logic. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a plate, thanking his dad. He took his breakfast into the dining room where Lynn, Lucy, and Lily were already eating and sat next to them.

"It sucks that we gotta go to school today." complained Lynn, "It's eating into my practice time!"

Lincoln shrugged as he started to eat, "Blame the student council, they're the ones who suggested we swap a day from spring break to make up for that extra snow day instead of one from summer."

"They've got too much power." Lucy said as she gave Lily some of her egg, "Next they'll close the library during lunch."

"They already did that Lucy." her brother reminded.

"...I'm not looking forward to freshmen year."

The twins showed up around then and joined the others for breakfast, arguing over which of them got more bacon.

"Dad only gave me two but you got three!" argued Lana.

"What about the one you ate off the floor?" Lola asked.

"Floor bacon is free bacon! Everyone knows that!"

Just another usual morning at the Loud House.

After breakfast, the six Loud children got into Vanzilla with Lincoln at the wheel (Lynn had previously lost all driving privileges after a "street race" incident), and headed for school.

 **Lunch**

At a partly-full lunch table, Lincoln sat across from his best friend and confidant. "So, what do you think about my dream Clyde?" Lincoln asked after telling about the dream with the Velvet Room.

"Hmm..." the bespectacled boy tapped his chin as he looked to the right, "Well, Dr. Lopez told me that dreams can be a way to process emotions and come up with solutions to problems. You could just be worrying too much and your dream is trying to tell you not to."

Lincoln shrugged as he took a bite out of his chicken wrap, "You know what the weird part is? It felt so real. It felt like I was actually there in that weird version of my living room."

"That guy with the long-nose though, he just sounded silly."

"He was freaking me out, but I think he really wanted to help. Still not sure what he meant by my 'other self' though."

Clyde's eyes suddenly lit up, "Hey Linc, have you ever heard of the **Persona Game**?"

Lincoln scratched the side of his head, "I think I heard Lucy say something about it. It's some kind of ritual game, right?

"I've heard a little bit about it from Haiku, you're supposed to look at a mirror at midnight, and call out your 'Persona' with the lights off. It's supposed to make your reflection move by itself."

"...and what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, a 'Persona' can be regarded as another 'self'. You know, like what they call your character in some MMOs."

"Okay, but how does that help me? What do I do after my reflection starts to move? Ask it a question?"

"I've never tried it, so I couldn't say. I think it's worth a shot though. Why don't we both try it tonight?"

The white-haired boy shrugged, he went back to eating lunch. Behind him, a two-girl posse walked by, with one of them pointing at him. "That's him, right? The loser who went out with that Santiago bitch?"

"Shh! Like, he'll hear you!"

Lincoln closed his eyes and pretended he didn't hear them. Clyde stood up, "Do you mind? We're trying to eat here!"

"Ech, whatever weirdo." dismissed the first girl as they walked off.

Clyde sat back down and passed his friend an extra iced coffee, "Hey, don't let it bother you."

Lincoln sighed and accepted the drink, "Too late for that..." he finished the coffee right when the bell rang signalling the end of their lunch.

Clyde got up first, "So, we still doing the Persona Game?"

Lincoln got up too, "Sure, why not?"

The two tossed whatever garbage they had left and headed to their next classes. Lincoln's ex wasn't at school that day. She had been absent again.

 **After School**

After a slightly rushed day of school, Lincoln took his sisters home and parked Vanzilla in the driveway of the Loud House. Everyone got out when the engine shut off with Lynn and Lana running off into the backyard, Lola and Lily heading upstairs, Lucy vanishing into the shadows, and Lincoln plopped himself down on the living room couch, laid back, and shut his eyes. The events of the previous night plus the extra day of school before his spring break had made him exhausted and now was as good time as any to get some rest.

He was woken up an hour or so later by Luan and Mr. Coconuts, "Hey sleepyhead! It _wood_ be a shame if you missed out on dinner!" "said" Mr. Coconuts. Luan laughed, "C'mon Linc, you heard Mr. Coconuts! We're having spaghetti and meatballs tonight!"

Lincoln got up and stretched, "Well, I can't _pasta_ up that offer."

His sister ruffled his hair a little, "Ha, ha! Now you're using your noddle!"

The two went into the dining room where Luan, Lynn, Lucy, and their parents were sitting. The younger kids could be heard from the kiddie table in the kitchen. They took their seats as well and dinner was served.

After dinner, Luna and Luan headed off for their gigs at the coffee shop, saying goodbye on the way out. Lincoln headed upstairs to his room and checked the clock on his wall. It was now 8 PM and Lincoln had four hours to kill. And what was the best way to kill time? Reading comics.

The boy kicked off his shoes and threw off his shirt and jeans. He pulled up a pair of grey lounge pants (in case one of his sisters walked in on him) and went through the collection of comics he kept in his dresser drawer, selecting a handful to last him until midnight.

 **Evening**

Lincoln looked up to see that it was a minute to midnight. The boy put his comic away and headed to the bathroom, not bothering to put on a shirt. The hallway was empty with everyone in their bedrooms, sleeping or otherwise. Quiet as a mouse, Lincoln quietly crept over to the bathroom and entered, shutting the door behind him.

Once inside the dark lavatory, Lincoln shut his eyes for a few seconds to help his eyesight adjust to the lack of light. He opened them again, and approached the sink, eyeing his reflection in the mirror. The boy briefly wondered if performing this ritual would really do him any good, and decided he should at least try. Lincoln made eye contact with his reflection and began to chant.

"Persona, Persona! Please come here!"

Nothing happened. Lincoln's reflection stood in place as it stared back at him. Lincoln shrugged and turned to leave when he suddenly felt pain in his head like he had the previous night.

 _"I am thou... thou art I..."_

It was the same voice as before. Lincoln covered his ears, shut his eyes, and yelled "Get out of my head!" The pain in his head was too much, Lincoln stretched his right arm towards the mirror to reach the medicine cabinet behind it. He didn't feel the mirror, what he felt instead was a sensation he could only describe as putting his hand into dense water. He opened his eyes and saw that his hand went into the mirror.

His hand was now in the mirror. Ripples formed around his arm as it dipped into the reflective surface. Lincoln couldn't believe his eyes, his mouth was agape, and a single word whispered its way out of his mouth.

"...what?"

Suddenly, Lincoln felt something grab his hand. It started to pull him into the mirror.

"Ah! It's got me!" he screamed as he jerked backwards. The pull from both sides was strong, so strong that Lincoln lost his balance after freeing his hand from the mirror, and fell back into the tub with a loud THUD. The back of his head hit the wall and both hands quickly went up to help soothe the pain as he let out a small groan.

Soon after making all that noise, the door to the bathroom swung open after being kicked open. The lights quickly turned on, and Lincoln saw six of his sisters poking their heads through the bathroom door. "What's going on in here?" asked Lynn who was most likely the one to kick the door.

Lana pointed him, "Why is your shirt off?" she asked.

"Blech! Were you doing gross boy stuff again?" accused Lola.

"You guys won't believe this, my hand just went into the mirror!" he explained.

There was a pause, then laughter erupted among his sisters. Lynn went over and playfully punched his arm. "Lincoln, relax! It's perfectly normal, there's no need to be so defensive about it!"

"I'm not making this up! My hand really went into the mirror!"

"Lincoln, I'd rather not go into the physical makeup of an aluminum glass mirror to explain how improbable your claim is at this time." Lisa scoffed, she then took Lily by the hand and headed back to their room, "Now if you'll excuse us, we'd like to experience REM before the night is over."

"Yeah, some sleep would be good too." Lana added as she followed them down the hall.

"Guys, wait!" Lincoln protested while standing up, "I can just-"

Lola pushed two gloved fingers on his lips, "Lincoln, you've disturbed my beauty sleep for two nights in a row already. There better not be a third or I'll tell mom about those weird Japanese comics you hide under your mattress." she threatened before she went back to her room.

Lincoln kept his mouth shut, his face started to flush red with embarrassment. Lynn patted his head, "Goodnight little bro, don't stay up too late." and walked out.

The boy lowered himself back down into the bathtub and slapped his face with the palm of his left hand. "What was I thinking?" he asked aloud, "Even _I_ can't believe what just happened! What chance was there that my sisters would?"

"You forgot me."

Lincoln jumped and looked up to see that Lucy was still present. "Lucy? You believe me?"

She just stood there, expressionless, "I'm willing to at least give you the benefit of the doubt. You wouldn't make such a claim without a good reason, can you do it again?"

"Maybe..." Lincoln got out of the tub and walked back to the mirror, "...I dunno though, there's _something_ in there, what if it grabs me again?"

He felt pressure around his waist, he looked over to see his little sister wrapping her arms around him. "Here, I'll be your anchor."

Lincoln smiled at her, "Thanks Luce." he hesitantly reached towards the mirror, "Okay, here I go!"

His hand went right in, just like last time. Lucy gasped aloud, "That's incredible..." her monotone cracked a little in excitement.

"I know, right?" Lincoln's arm went a bit further in.

Lucy tugged on him a bit, "You must tell me your secret. How are you doing this?"

"I have no idea. Maybe it has something to do with- whoa!" Lincoln's hand was grabbed again, and again he was being pulled into the mirror. He grabbed the sink with his free hand, but couldn't get free from whatever was in the mirror, "Lucy! Let go!"

"No!" she tightened her grip around him and refused to let go.

"Lucy!"

The pull was getting stronger somehow, the Loud boy could feel his grip on the sink weaken.

"Dang it!"

He let go of the sink and wrapped his left arm around his sister. The both of them were pulled into the mirror by the unknown force, and the mirror's surface went back to normal.


	3. Awakening

**A/N** : _Special thanks to_ **zumby101** _for their constant support in writing this chapter._

Persona 5 _was delayed for two more months. Fucking brilliant job_ _ **Atlus USA.**_ _I know it's for the best, localization is a arduous task, but I can't help but be a bit bitter after the disaster that was_ FE Tokyo Mirage Sessions _localization (granted,_ _ **Nintendo**_ _was mostly responsible for that bullshit)._

 _Oh well, I can kill time with writing this fic and saving up for a PS4 Pro._

 **XxXxX**

Lincoln and Lucy hit the ground with Lincoln taking most of the fall as he shielded Lucy. The boy had landed on his side, and rolled onto his back with a low groan. "Lucy, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm okay. What about you?"

The boy looked down at his right side where he landed, he could see a few scrapes and bruises on his bare torso. It slightly stung, but it was nothing too serious. "I've had worse."

Lincoln let go of Lucy and the two helped each other up. Looking around, they saw that they were in what seemed to be their bathroom, but it was in worse shape than usual. Cracks decorated the walls, the floor had more holes in it, the one window was boarded up, and any exposed pipe had an unsanitary amount of rust on it.

"...is this the inside of the mirror?" Lincoln asked aloud.

"Either that or the bathroom is in worse shape than we thought." Lucy answered.

Lincoln did a quick search of the room, seeing that the two were in there alone. "I don't see what pulled us in, but we'd better leave before it finds us."

"That might be difficult..." Lucy pointed behind Lincoln who turned around.

The mirror was broken.

Lincoln went up to the broken mirror and carefully touched the surface. His hand stayed on the surface, and didn't go in. He soon realized they couldn't go back the way they came.

"Dang it!" he cried out, "Now what do we do?"

"There has to be another way." Lucy told him, "One mirror got us in, another might get us out. Our house had plenty of mirrors..." she turned to the door leading out to the hallway. There was no doorknob on it, which wasn't all that surprising considering that tended to happen every once in a while at their house.

Lincoln looked up, the ventilation shaft was open on the ceiling. "Over here Luce, can you give me a boost up?" He asked while gesturing over to the vent.

Lucy did a quick nod before walking over and cupped her hands, giving her brother a leg up into the vents before he turned around and helped her up.

"Stick close, there's no telling what could be ahead."

"It's okay, I know these vents better than I know myself."

"Uh, right." Lincoln said awkwardly before they started crawling. Lincoln couldn't remember the last time he'd been in the vents of his house, but he could recall that they weren't as small as the one he was in now. As they crawled forward, Lincoln started to notice an odd beat that came from deep within the ducts and felt it vibrate off the walls as the noise kept pulsing in his ears.

THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

"Lincoln..." Lucy pointed at an open vent cover. Looking out, he saw the mirror world's version of the Loud House's upstairs hallway. Crawling on the floor was a mass of shadow with a bizarre mask on it, gurgling as it inched forward. It looked just like the beings from his vision the night before. "...what is that?"

"No idea, but we shouldn't get near it." he warned, "I don't like the look of that thing."

Lucy nodded before the two continued their crawl through the vents. All the while the beat continued, getting louder and stronger with every bit they crawled further.

THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

The two passed by Luan and Luna's room, which didn't have a mirror due to it breaking before in one of Luna's "hotel rock out" sessions. Luan had mentioned something about it being harder to reflect on her mistakes after that.

Lincoln started to feel as if he was being watched. Someone, or something, was keeping an eye on him. He wanted to ask Lucy if she felt the same thing, but didn't want to alarm her. Or worse, alarm whatever could be watching them.

THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

"We're getting close to my room." Lucy suddenly said, "There should be a mirror there."

The two stopped at the vent cover and peeked through it to see a massive-sized shadow being standing in the room. It stood up straight with a muscular figure, and appeared to be flexing in front of the mirror in Lynn and Lucy's room.

"...what's it doing?" Lincoln asked with a whisper, watching it flex some more before it turned around and looked at it's backside. Lucy letting out a groan.

"Gross." she said, seeing it admire its own butt.

"Keep going?" Lincoln asked.

"Hard yes."

They passed the vent cover and headed further through the vents.

THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

"What is that sound?" Lincoln asked aloud, no longer able to ignore the banging.

"I don't know. I thought I was just imagining it before."

"We gotta get out of these vents, this is getting too creepy." he said, knowing the irony of saying that to Lucy.

They passed the vent cover for Lana's room. The mirrors that used to be there belonged to Lola, who had since moved into Lori and Leni's old room. Lana didn't seem to care about the circumstance, in fact she rejoiced about it. No more frilly princess junk to clutter her space.

THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

"Your room should be dead ahead."

"Hopefully it's empty, I don't want to see another one of those buff guys."

"Ditto." Lucy agreed as the two found the vent cover to the mirror world's version of Lincoln's bedroom. A quick look around showed the room to be empty, making Lincoln sigh with relief.

"Coast is clear." Lincoln said as he opened the vent cover and jumped down into the room. This version of his room looked exactly like his own, though he couldn't help but think that everything seemed smaller. A wave of compression swept over Lincoln as he stood in the closed space. He shrugged off for now to help Lucy down, "We made it! Now let's get out of here!" he said gesturing to his dresser where his mirror hung.

At first it looked like Lucy was going to say something, but her mouth went agape.

"Lucy?" Lincoln asked as she looked at him then off into the space behind him.

"What is..." she asked in a hushed, terrified voice.

"Luce? Luce, what's wrong?"

"Behind you." she told him, scared stiff.

Lincoln quickly turned around and jumped at what he came face to face with. It was himself! Not a mirror, not a reflection, another Lincoln was in the room with them. But this Lincoln was different, a dark aura radiated off of him and his eyes...his eyes had an unnatural look of dullness to them. An emptiness that was accentuated by the lack of pupils in them.

Yet his gaze was piercing right through Lincoln and Lucy.

On instinct, Lincoln took a step back and began to shield Lucy as his counterpart just stared blankly at them, "Wh-where did that come from?"

"He...he just appeared!" Lucy gasped out, frightened and confused. As if looking right at another of himself wasn't enough, hearing Lucy genuinely scared chilled Lincoln to the bone. Then as if things couldn't get worse, the unthinkable happened. This other Lincoln began to speak to them.

"...you're pathetic." it spoke in a distorted, slowly echoing voice.

"It talked!" Lucy whispered.

"Who the heck are you?" Lincoln demanded as it creepily grinned at them.

"Me? Don't you recognize me?" the doppelganger asked with a chuckle, "I'm you."

"Lincoln?" Lucy asked, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Stay behind me." he told her, then he focused on the double, "What do you mean that you're me?"

Lincoln was unnerved when his copy let out a laugh, "I'm the real you. The true self that you keep deep down inside, the self that you don't like to admit that's there. The self that you are ashamed of, the self that you hate."

"You're not making any sense!" Lincoln yelled as the other him scowled at him.

"Funny, that's the same thing you told Ronnie Anne."

Lincoln went quiet with the mention of her name.

"Lincoln?" Lucy asked again, this time Lincoln ignored her.

"I... don't know what your talking about..." Lincoln denied, his voice not as boisterous as it had been. The other him shook his head.

"Denying it didn't work on Ronnie Anne and it certainly won't work on me"

"Don't talk about her." Lincoln threatened as his other self shook his head in disapproval.

The double frowned and folded his arms, "Four years of dating, of a full friendship, all torn up and thrown away after one bad night."

"Shut up."

"She told you to leave. That she never wanted to see you again. You asked her everything that came to mind. Was it the plate of spaghetti that fell on her lap after the movie? Was it the less expensive Valentine's card you picked out for her? Did you ruin the mood when you had trouble unbuttoning her pants when you two were finally alone?" suddenly, the reflection grinned again, "Or were you just _that_ bad at sex?"

Upon hearing that, Lucy gasped. Lincoln tried to look away, embarrassed.

"Face it, you weren't good enough for Ronnie Anne. That's why she broke it off after that night with her and you lost your V-card, then she started going out with that fuckface Chandler not even a week later."

"She what?" there was a hint of anger in Lucy's otherwise monotone voice.

"Yeah, turns out she was already seeing that overprivileged prick behind his back. Honestly I'm not surprised! All the girls want to be around that asshole, she probably wanted to know what all the fuss was about." Lincoln's reflection sighed and shrugged his arms, "Doesn't matter how good you are, you'll never be good enough for her, or for anyone for that matter."

Lincoln had his palms covering most of his face. Hiding from the shame, "It's true..." he calmly admitted, "...everything he's saying is true."

"Lincoln, you can't really be thinking that!" Lucy said. Although it was in her monotone, every word she said resonated with Lincoln in some warm way.

"He is, trust me. I'm thinking it too." admitted the double.

Lincoln put his palms down and looked over at himself, "Everything he's saying, it's true. After Ronnie and I...after that, I went home with my tail between my legs, believing that there was something wrong with me. That I'm not good for anyone, that I was broken and can't be fixed."

"That's not true!" Lucy was nearly shouting at this point. She grabbed his head and made him look right at her. "Lincoln you aren't broken, you're great just the way you are. You're the same dorky, comic book reading, kind, honest person you always were. There's nothing to fix about that." she said, Lincoln staying silent. With a sigh Lucy continued, "Do you remember what happened after you came home from Ronnie Anne's house?"

"I went up to my room to be alone, but there were eight nosy sisters who kept asking how my date went." he said, with a small smile.

"And you didn't want to talk about it."

"Lola forced it out of me and I told you all that Ronnie and I had broke up," he went on, "And then you guys wouldn't leave me alone. You all tried to cheer me up, that night and every day after that until I started smiling and laughing with you all again."

Lucy nodded while patting his shoulder, she let go of his head as Lincoln regained his composure.

He walked up to his reflection who just stood listening. "Though, I still think about it sometimes. The memories are still fresh in my mind and... maybe I'm still not over it. Sometimes I don't think I'm good enough for anyone, that I'm just a pathetic loser, but my family helps me remember that's not true. I'm still gonna need time to get over it, but I'm not facing this alone." he said, looking back to Lucy before turning back to his reflection. "I need to admit that at least."

With this acceptance, his reflection nodded, the dark aura around it died down. Then his reflection vanished and in its place was a bright, glowing card that levitated towards Lincoln who caught it. Lucy quickly ran up behind him to see his new prize. On the card was the image of a bipedal anthropomorphic rabbit carrying a bindle. Above the image was the number 0, and beneath the image was the name "Br'er Rabbit".

 _"I am thou, thou art I."_

It was that weird voice again, "Where are you?" Lincoln called out while looking around.

 _"Down here. The name's Br'er Rabbit, your other self. Born and bred in the briar patch, and emerged from your soul. It looks like you need some help."_

Lincoln eyed the card suspiciously, "Isn't that just a story?"

"Lincoln, are you... talking to the card?" Lucy asked.

"What, no!" Lincoln turned towards her, "Don't you hear him?"

 _"Hey kid, only you can hear me. Try not to make a scene."_ Br'er explained, Lucy looking at him like he was crazy.

Lincoln rubbed the side of his head, _"I don't believe this,"_ he thought to himself, _"I'm hearing the voice of a storybook rabbit..."_

 _"Yes, and he can hear you too."_

The intrusion into his mind shocked and somewhat annoyed him, _"What do you want from me? What_ are _you?"_ Lincoln asked in his head.

 _"I only want to help you. You're me, and if anything happened to you, I'd be in trouble. As for what I am, consider me your other self. But unlike your_ _ **reflection**_ _earlier, I am your_ _ **Persona**_ _, the self that will help you face life's hardships."_

 _"Other self? Persona? From the Persona Game?"_

 _"Exactly, you called for me and I answered. You're going to need my help for the coming danger."_

 _"And what's the danger? What's going to happen?"_

 _"To begin with, you and your sister are in danger here. This world is too dangerous at night, and we need to get you two out."_

 _"That's why we went into this room! To use my mirror! That's how we get out, right?"_

 _"Yes, but the mirror in this room won't work."_

"What?" Lincoln blurted out loud, making Lucy jump. He looked up to see his mirror over the dresser drawer and approached it He pressed against the surface with his hand and nothing happened. It didn't phase through, it didn't even ripple from his touch, the mirror remained solid. "No!"


	4. Shadows and Reflections

**A/N:** _Special thanks to_ **zumby101** _for their constant support in writing this chapter._

 _This was originally part of chapter 3. It got so long that I needed to split it into two chapters. Plus I really wanted to update the story, so win-win. I dunno how long each chapter will be, I guess it'll just vary._

 _Please read, review, and spread the word. Recommend this story on TV Tropes if you're feeling extra generous._

 **E/N:** _it's a real pleasure working on this, enjoy!_

 **XxXxX**

"Lincoln, what's wrong?" asked Lucy.

"I can't get through! The mirror isn't working!" Lincoln yelped back as he kept pushing harder into his mirror, but nothing happened.

 _"That mirror won't work, it's just a sticker on cardboard."_ Lincoln heard Br'er explain.

 _"That doesn't count?"_ Lincoln asked, panicking a little.

 _"Unfortunately no, a true mirror needs to be made out of earthly materials in order to have the power to transfer you between this world and your world."_

"Dangit!" Lincoln yelled in defeat as he punched the sticker, making Lucy jump again.

"Lincoln, calm down. Freaking out isn't going to help us."

"Calm down how? Almost all the mirrors in this house are made out of cheap stuff like mine! We're trapped!"

"Lincoln, you're forgetting something. There's a mirror in the attic that's an old heirloom, it might be our best bet out of here."

Hearing this calmed Lincoln down a bit, he scratched his head in thought, "...that might work, but what about that thing in the hallway?"

 _"That thing in the hallway is a_ _ **shadow**_ _."_ spoke Br'er, _"A being made from the negative energy humans release into this world."_

 _"Negative energy?"_ Lincoln asked as he looked at the card again.

 _"Many humans in your world use mirrors to release their negative energy. Be it fear, hatred, insecurity, avarice, superiority, jealousy, sorrow, or indifference. They're collected here and create shadows, reflections, and the world you see before you."_

 _"Do you know how to get past it?"_

 _"When you see it, call for me. I'll give that runt a whupping!"_

"Lincoln? What are you thinking?" Lucy asked, snapping him out of his inner conversation.

"I got an idea Lucy, follow me."

Lincoln walked to the bedroom door and turned the knob, hoping that the shadows wouldn't surprise him. Lucy was close behind. Lincoln pulled the door open, and the shadow noticed them almost immediately. The mask it was holding changed expression from a blank stare to a devious grin, and the shadow charged right at the two.

"Lincoln!"

As the shadow crossed the hall, the card glowed in Lincoln's hand.

 _"Now! Quick!"_

Lincoln gripped the card in his hand, and a single word flashed to the forefront of his mind. It was a familiar word, and on instinct he moved the word from his mind to his mouth.

"PERSONA!" Lincoln yelled out.

The card shattered in his hand and Br'er Rabbit appeared in front of the two, giving them a cheeky grin while carrying a bindle over his shoulder. Just as he promised, Br'er ran up to the shadow and greeted it with a sucker punch to the mask. It let out a shriek as it cracked, causing the shadow to disperse into nothingness. After the blow was dealt, Br'er vanished and his card had returned to Lincoln's hand.

Lincoln's mouth was agape as he looked at the card with a dumbfounded expression.

"Wh-what was that?" Lucy asked, her voice breaking from excitement, "Did you just yell out 'Persona'? Lincoln, what did you do?"

He shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know! This is all new to me too!"

 _"I am your inner strength."_ Br'er told him, _"Your strength of heart."_

 _"Yeah, and that explains everything..."_ Lincoln thought in response.

 _"Okay then smartass, figure it out for yourself."_

"Spirits." Lucy said to her brother, snapping him out of his thinking again. Lincoln saw that her mouth had turned into an eerie grin, "Lincoln, you connected with a spirit!"she said with an unnatural amount of excitement, at least for her.

He shook his head, "No, I don't think-"

Lucy grabbed the hand Lincoln was holding his card in, "Do it again! How does it work?" she was yanking on his arm to get to the card.

"Lucy, stop!" he yelled, getting her to let go. "Look, first things first, we need to get out of this place before more of those things show up."

"But Lincoln!"

"We'll talk about it when we're safe at home, alright?"

Her smile vanished almost as quick (if not quicker) than it appeared, "Sorry, got a bit too excited there."

"It's okay...let's just head for the attic."

She agreed with a nod, and the two made their way to the middle of the hall where the entrance to the attic was. With a pull on a cord, the entrance opened and a rickety staircase came down. The two carefully climbed upwards, hearing the creeks and cracks coming from each step until they made it to the top.

The attic was dark and quiet. Creepy, cold, with no one but them. It was no wonder that Lucy loved to be here to write. Lincoln folded his arms to keep warm while Lucy didn't seem too bothered by the sudden chill.

"Do you see the mirror?" Lincoln asked, shivering a little.

"Not a sight."

"It'd be easier with the lights on..."

"The moonlight was enough for me." Lucy stated. Oddly enough, this version of their attic didn't seem to have the same solitary window that theirs had. It was completely separated from the outside, if there _was_ an outside to this place.

Just then, a dinky light bulb lit up with neither Lincoln nor Lucy touching a thing. In the bask of the dim light was a dark silhouette, pure black on the ground before slowly rising its head. Lincoln and Lucy flinched when they caught first hints of white skin.

"Another shadow!" Lincoln exclaimed.

 _"No, this one is another reflection. And it's way tougher than the small fry."_ Br'er pointed out.

The figure slowly approached, the light flickering with every step before it stood only a hop away from them. Its head darting up, making Lucy jump as she laid eyes on herself. Her counterpart focused their hidden eyes right at her.

"Disgusting creature." it hissed, sounding so much like Lucy. "Why do you intrude _my_ dark place?" it asked with heavy emphasis on "my" in its phrase. Lucy was at a loss for words as it inched closer. "You pathetic freak, why do you even exist?"

Lincoln stood in front of his sister, shielding her from her dark counterpart as it stared at them. "Lucy, stay calm." Lincoln tried to reassure as her reflection cocked her head to one side before it spoke again.

"Stay calm?" it repeated, the lights flickering with her words. Then suddenly, Lucy's reflection was right in front of him, making both of them jump in surprise. Lucy fell onto the attic floor while Lincoln stood still, petrified by this version of his sister. The reflection then started poking his bare chest. "Oh dear Lincoln, how can she calm down? Especially when you're standing here shirtless?"

"W-what?" he asked, a chill ran down his spine as he felt her cold, pale fingers. Lucy got up in a flash.

"No!" Lucy yelled, pushing her double back and taking her place back at Lincoln's side. "Don't touch him!"

Her reflection stared at her, oddly as her head cocked from one side to another, unnaturally so. "Feeling threatened?"

"Whatever you are, spirit, demon, whatever, you just leave my brother alone!" Lucy yelled, her monotone breaking again.

Her reflection let out a soft laugh, "I'm no superstition, I'm you. Is that why you're afraid? Are you worried I might do or say something you don't want me to?"

Lincoln notice his sister flinching at her words, "Lucy?" he asked.

"I'm not frightened, and you're not me." Lucy spat back. Her reflection cocked her head to one side again.

"Is that right, you foolish girl?" the reflection asked as a dark aura became more visible around it, "Am I really not you, or do you not want to admit it? That dark secret you shoved deep down, that secret you swear to yourself is a lie that somehow snakes its way into your brain? You make me sick."

"Lucy, what is she talking about?" Lincoln asked.

"I...I don't know!" Lucy blurted out quick as she covered her face with her hands, "It's just saying whatever it wants! Hit it with your Persona!"

 _"That's not a good idea."_ Br'er told Lincoln, _"Her reflection is a part of her, and it's very vulnerable at this state. It could harm your sister if we attacked it now."_

Again her reflection cocked her head from one side to the other as it fixed its gaze on Lincoln, "Poor naive Lincoln, haven't you figured it out by now?" her reflection asked with an unnerving grin, "Maybe it's hard to tell since she keeps hiding from everyone behind that mess of tar-dyed hair..."

"Shut up!" Lucy shouted at her again, but her reflection continued.

"...every verse in her poems, every little thing she does for you, always wanting to sit next to you whenever you all do something together. It couldn't be any more obvious."

The dots connected in Lincoln's head to form an impossible picture, he nervously turned towards his sister, "You can't seriously be saying..."

Lucy shook her head frantically, "No, no, no! This isn't real!"

The reflection pointed accusingly at Lucy, "This little freak, your little sister, has impure affection for you."

"That's a lie!" Lucy yelled, tears streamed down her cheeks, "You have no idea how I think, you're just an illusion! Some trick this world is playing on us! You're not me at all!"

The aura around the reflection grew darker, it's grin stretched ear to ear, "Is that right? Say it a little louder."

"You're not me!" she screamed, "You're nothing like me!"

Her shadow broke into a hard laughter, the aura now pulsing out of control as her body began to melt away. Her hair dripping down her shoulder to reveal her blank empty eyes set above a devilish smile. "So you deny me" she said, demonically as her melted hair began to expand over her body and spread. "Very well, I'll just have to show our dear brother how we really feel!" she yelled as the black ooze that was her hair had formed her arms into long black feathered wings. Her teeth began to outstretch well beyond her mouth to form a yellowing grinning beak. She cawed once as Lucy screamed before she was scooped her into her mouth.

"Lucy!" Lincoln cried out.

 _"Heads up!"_

Lincoln braced himself as the giant black bird cawed and flapped its wings at him, lifting itself into the air. He was knocked back from the down wind as the reflection hovered above.

"I am a shadow, the true self..." it spoke, "Is she really worth saving? She's just some worthless girl who isn't fit to be your sister, a pitiful being!" it cawed as Lincoln pulled himself up with a groan.

"Ow..."

 _"Lincoln, your sister won't last long if we don't take this overgrown chicken to the chop! Hurry up and get me out there!"_

Lincoln gripped the card again, "Right! Persona!"

Br'er appeared before Lincoln and swung at the raven. However, it didn't seem to have any effect as his hand got stuck in the feathers before Br'er vanished.

"Is that all you got?" asked Lucy's reflection, "Looks like little apples really don't fall too far from the tree, weakling!" It cawed before charging at him, Lincoln tried to flee but shoved him onto his chest. He cringed in pain when he felt a sharp scratching across his bare back. "I'll enjoy every piece of you dear brother!" she cawed again as she flew through the attic. Lincoln rubbed the marks left from the bird's talons as he pulled himself up.

 _"Damnit! What just happened?"_ Lincoln asked internally, trying to fight through the pain.

 _"That bird is made out of some kind of tar!"_ answered his Persona, _"Punching it won't work!"_

 _"Shit! What do we do now?"_

 _"We gotta work together, lend me some of your_ _ **Spirit Power**_ _and I can give her a_ super _whooping!"_

 _"Hold up, 'Spirit Power'? What the heck is that?"_

 _"Do you WANT to save your spooky sister or not?"_

 _"Okay, sure! Whatever! How do I do that?"_

 _"Try to envision an element, one that comes natural to you, then summon me again!"_

Lincoln closed his eyes and tried to focus. What _did_ come natural for Lincoln? He wasn't really great in any particular area, though he was fluid enough to adapt to many situations. That's when the word _"Aqua"_ came to mind, and with it the image of a torrent of water. Lincoln held out his hand again for the card and gripped it as he called for Br'er.

"Persona!"

This time, instead of punching the tar-bird, Br'er turned his bindle towards it and water shot out of the bag and drenched the dreaded bird. The water washed away the ink-like feathers, forcing the raven to land.

"No! My ink! My beautiful ink!" it cried.

Lincoln could now see that the raven was made out of paper. Paper with what he recognized as Lucy's handwriting.

 _"It's down! Let's hit it again before it recovers!"_

"Right, let's finish this off! Persona!"

Br'er jumped out again with his bindle in hand. Aiming straight for the beak as the crazed bird looked at him. He fired his blast of water, the bird beginning to shred apart into the sheets of paper that made her up.

Soon the monster was gone, a flurry of soaked papers acting as confetti to its exit. The watery ink rested on the floor and in the place of the raven laid Lucy. Lincoln reacted quickly. "Lucy!" he yelled, running to her and dropping to a knee. She was breathing, thankfully, but she wasn't moving. Lincoln pulled her up, "Lucy, speak to me!" he pleaded.

She jutted a little, just waking up after being passed out for the past while. "Lincoln?" she coughed out.

"Lucy, please tell me you're okay." he begged. She looked as though she was going to say something, but she turned her head away. "Lucy?" he asked. She remained silent and started to shake a little. "Lucy!"

"Just leave me."

"What?" Lincoln asked, confused.

He heard a sniffle, and tears rolled down Lucy's cheeks.

"Please, just leave me here."

"Lucy, I can''t do that."

"I can't go back now." she cried out to him, "I can't go back now that you know..."

"Lucy..."

She tried to push him off, "Just leave me!" she cried again. What she said hung in silence for a moment before Lincoln pulled her in for a hug. Lucy tried to push him off again but couldn't find the strength to do so. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his back and buried her head into his bare chest as her brother let her cry. His chest started getting wet and sticky from her falling tears, but he was more concerned about comforting her.

"I'm sorry but I won't do that. I won't leave you here." Lincoln told her, now looking up and letting out a short breath when he saw Lucy's reflection again, back to looking like Lucy. It silently stared at them. He recalled Br'er's words saying that this being was a part of Lucy, made up of the negative energy she released into this world. Her reflection nudged its head towards Lucy, who was beginning to calm down. Lucy had helped him sort out his reflection, and now he needed to help her. With one loaded deep breath and a heavy heart, Lincoln asked his question, "...do you really feel that way towards me?"

The question hit her like the cold water that hit the reflection's monstrous form, her lips fidgeted and her fingers twitched on his back as she let go. Lincoln wasn't expecting a real answer, but when she lifted her head off of him, he was prepared to hear her out. "I...I don't know..." She said, her voice trailed off.

"Lucy, please be honest with me. I know you really don't want to tell me, but you have to trust me when I say it'll help."

"Lincoln, I..." she was hesitant to speak. Lincoln couldn't help but sympathize for her, but that's when he knew what he had to say.

"I promise, this will only be between you and me Luce. No one else has to know."

Another long moment went by before Lucy broke the silence again. "...okay." she said, pushing off Lincoln to sit up by herself. In the spookiest act he'd seen tonight, Lucy brushed her bangs away from her eyes to look directly at Lincoln. She was visibly shaking as she tried to keep eye contact, her eyes red with ruined mascara from the crying that only accentuated the baby blue color of her irises. "Lincoln...I'm not too sure why but for the longest time now, I've come to admire you. More than I think I should. You've always been there to support me with my poetry and whenever I needed someone to talk to...but I never thought of you as more than a brother until..." she trailed off again.

"Until?"

She looked down and blushed under her running make-up, "...a bit after I started my monthly ritual."

"Monthly...oh! Oh..." Thanks to having five older sisters, Lincoln quickly caught on what she was talking about.

Lucy kept her head down out of shame, fresh tears now starting to hit the floor, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I know it's not right. I can't help but tremble when I think of you now, and its only gotten worse when I learned you and Ronnie Anne broke up..." she covered her face, "...I don't deserve to be your sister with feelings like this. My other self was right, I was afraid you'd find out and be so disgusted that you'd hate me and-"

Before she could finish, Lincoln wrapped his arms around her again, stopping her dead in her tracks. "Lucy, I could never hate you." he told her gently, having heard enough. Lucy shook as the breath left her body and she felt the tears come again. "I don't think I can return...those feelings, but I love you. You're one of my favorite sisters and I don't want to see you hurting again."

"Lincoln..." she said with a mix of relief and sadness.

"We're going to figure this out. All of it, and I promise I'll never stop being your brother." With that, Lincoln let go and was relieved that Lucy had a small smile on her face. Her reflection was still staring at them however.

"It's still there, isn't it?" Lucy asked.

Lincoln nodded. Lucy turned to face her reflection, it only stared at her silently. Just as Lincoln had, Lucy approached her reflection.

"...sometimes, I do feel disgusted with myself. Sometimes I think that I don't deserve to be Lincoln's sister...but he still accepts me as such, and I'm happy with that." she looked down, "Maybe...maybe I do want us to be more than that, but I'll respect Lincoln's refusal. He loves me enough as it is."

Her reflection smiled for a brief moment, then vanished. It its place was a glowing card that lightly floated into Lucy's open hands. Lincoln approached her to see this new card, on it was the image of a raven perched atop a chamber door. Above the image was the number IX, and beneath the image was the name "Nevermore".

"Lucy, that's-"

Lucy yelped and nervously looked left and right, "Did you hear that too?"

"No?" Lincoln hadn't heard anything.

Lucy showed him the card, "It said its name was Nevermore, that it was my Persona..." her eyes lit up, and an excited grin stretched across her face, "Does this mean I now have the same power you have?"

Lincoln scratched his head, "I dunno, maybe?"

 _"She gained a facade to face life's hardships. A Persona."_ Br'er told him.

 _"So, she now has a voice in her head too?"_

 _"What do you think?"_

"Summon with the card...sounds a little too easy when you say it like that..." Lucy mumbled to herself, "Huh? Oh! Lincoln, the mirror!"

"The mirror!" Lincoln remembered why they went up into the attic, "Do you see it?"

"No, but my Persona says it's over there." Lucy pointed to the darkest part of the attic.

Lincoln eyed the darkness, "...I don't see anything."

"It's there, my Persona is helping me see it." Lucy walked into the darkness and Lincoln quickly followed behind. Soon enough, they found it, the old mirror from a previous generation.

Lincoln poked the surface and sighed with relief as it made ripples with his touch. He offered his hand to Lucy. "You ready to go home?"

She grabbed on, "Ready."

With a deep breath, the two stepped through the mirror, leaving the attic of the mirrored home.

 **XxXxX**

Lincoln and Lucy stepped out of the mirror and found themselves in their attic. The same solitary window was there but pouring moonlight into the room. The familiar makeshift refurbishing was a welcome sight compared to the decrepit mirrored version they had just witnessed.

"We're home!" Lincoln let out, relieved with a small smile.

Lucy smiled back, which faded once she realized something, "So...what do we do with the knowledge that there's a world inside of mirrors?"

"Good question..." Lincoln answered, having no idea where to start with that.

 _"We'll have to go back in there"_ Br'er told him.

 _"You're still here?"_ Lincoln asked, surprised to still hear his Persona.

 _"Of course I am. As your other self, I'm always by your side."_

 _"...I dunno whether to be flattered or creeped out."_

"Is your Persona talking to you too?" Lucy asked, snapping Lincoln out of his internal conversation.

"Yeah...he said we should go back into the mirror." he admitted.

"My Persona says that going back now would be premature, and that we've been through enough for tonight."

Lincoln smiled at that, "Thank goodness, advice that makes sense."

 _"Hey, I wasn't telling you to go back in right now!"_

 _"Yeah, well, you haven't been all too direct either."_ Lincoln retorted, Br'er seeming staying quiet either in defeat or taking that personally. Now that he was home, Lincoln couldn't fight back a yawn.

"Man..." he said, stretching out a little, "I think we've had enough excitement for the week. Goodnight Lucy." Lincoln said. As he turned to leave he felt a tug on his arm, Lucy spoke up before he could ask anything.

"Lincoln...um..."

"Something wrong?" Lincoln asked. Lucy steadied herself before speaking again.

"I don't think I'm going to get any sleep tonight. After all that's happened, I just can't stop thinking..." she said, hesitating before continuing, "...can I spend the night with you?"

"Um..." Lincoln answered awkwardly. Not that he didn't understand, it was just two people in his room didn't equal comfortable.

"I just don't want to be alone tonight."

"What about Lynn?" He casually asked.

"Then I _know_ I'm not going to sleep tonight with her sawing logs." she said, Lincoln cracking a grin at how nonchalantly she said it. "And if shes see me in the morning like I am, she's going to ask what's the matter. And believe me, she's just as bad as Lola when she wants to know something." Lincoln could believe that, he had the bruises to prove that that was true.

"Okay you convinced me." he said with a slight giggle in his voice that Lucy found some comfort in. "You can stay the night but you got to remember there's not much room in my room."

"I can sleep on the floor." she suggested, Lincoln quick to shoot that down.

"No, don't worry Luce, I got a better idea..."

 **XxXxX**

Lucy carefully pulled up Lincoln's covers to slip under them as Lincoln rolled out his old sleeping bag. With the light on, Lincoln pulled open his dresser drawer for a shirt, unfortunately giving Lucy a good look at the fresh marks across his back. She gasped as he casually covered them with an Ace Savvy shirt.

"Everything alright?" Lincoln asked, turning back towards her on the bed.

"What happened to your back?" she asked.

"Oh uh...I got it while I was fighting your...uh..." he stumbled on his words, knowing she'd feel bad no matter what he said.

"Oh..." Lucy looked down out of guilt, "I'm sorry you had to go through that..."

"Hey," Lincoln said as he sat on the bed with her, "don't worry about it. I'm okay, you're okay, and that's all that matters." he said, giving Lucy a light pat on the knee. "No more apologies okay?"

Lucy paused for a moment before she answered, "Can I get just one more?" she joked. Lincoln was chuckling as he nodded.

"Go ahead."

"I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." he told her. Hopping off the bed, Lincoln turned off the lights and snuggled himself the best he could into the sleeping bag, "There, cozy as the bathtub." he said as Lucy shook her head at his silly joke and sank under the covers. At first they laid in silence, both having too much on their minds to sleep.

"Hey Lincoln..." Lucy spoke up once more, "...you won't tell anyone about...you know?"

"Wouldn't even think of it." Lincoln assured her, "Your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks." she said, happy that it was so dark in Lincoln's room. That way he couldn't see how big a smile she had along with how red her face was.

Hesitantly, Lincoln asked the same, "...you won't tell anyone about that thing with me and Ronnie Anne, right?"

"I don't really plan to. We all know you two broke up anyway."

"Yeah...but you know if everyone finds out the full details, they'll form a lynch mob, right?" Lucy giggled at that. "What?"

"Emphasis on the 'Lynn' part." she joked, Lincoln letting out a good laugh at that.

"I thought I saved Lucy, not Luan!" he proclaimed.

The two's laughter died down soon, Lincoln now starting to feel a little tired. Before sleep took him, Lucy gave him an answer.

"I won't tell anyone. I promise."

 **XxXxX**

 **Elsewhere...**

In a dark room illuminated solely by a dim bulb, a lone figure stood wearing a lab coat that was dirtied by some sort of black bile.

"I...I killed it! I killed it!" the figure threw up their hands, "I'M FREE! I'M FREE!" they screamed while in front of a tall mirror.

There was no reflection in the mirror.


	5. New Day, New Problems

**A/N:** _Special thanks to_ **zumby101** _for co-writing this chapter while I was at a low point with my MDD._

 _Can we all agree that_ "Brawl in the Family" _was a fucking disaster of an episode? There's just too much wrong with it including turning Lincoln into an utterly useless prat who SHOULD know something so thoroughly established (and stupid) as the "sister fight protocol" and having Lori act way too dickish than her character demands, and plenty others give it flak with how much BS is in it._

 _But hey, out of 59 episodes so far, having only 2 that I utterly despise (the other being "_ The Green House" _with its shite environmental message of "Go Green or face being a social pariah." fucking polar bears_ ) _is more than I can ask for._

 **E/N:** _always happy to help my friends and fans out when they need it. This chapter was fairly easy to write considering how laid back everything is even amongst the drama and I honestly have fun writing lucy and Lincoln interacting._

 _On another note it's getting weird how easy it is to come up with puns for Luan. Hopefully you get a chuckle out of em but I'm not holding my breath. Enjoy everybody!_

 _ **Tuesday, April 5th, 2016**_

 **Early Morning**

To say that Lucy and Lincoln didn't sleep well was an understatement. They did manage to get a few winks of sleep, but some things just kept waking them up. Their Personas, the adrenaline still in their systems, and a hanging uncomfortable feeling that came with the knowledge that there was now another world.

Neither spoke up about it but they could both feel something offbeat that hung in Lincoln's bedroom, like a shaky fan that they couldn't shut off. Between the off and on sleeping, Lucy was stirred by Lincoln mumbling to himself. Much like most of their siblings, he had a quirk when he slept. Not as annoying as Lola's snoring, or Lana's sleep farting, or Lynn doing both, but something that on more than one occasion did land him in some trouble.

Rarely, he would sleepwalk and even talk in his sleep. This happened when he couldn't get enough sleep or when he was stressing over something, and he'd end up walking around the house in a deep sleep. When he would sleep talk, most of it was inaudible mumbles or gibberish that sounded like Lily when she was a baby but every once in a while they could understand a word or two.

That was what woke Lucy up at the bright crack of dawn. Her body ached as she hunched forward in Lincoln's bed, hearing him groan something else as he tossed around the floor in his sleeping bag.

"Lincoln?" She tiredly called out, getting another groan out of him. "Lincoln, you awake?" she asked, Lincoln stirring in his sleeping bag.

"Yeah..." He said sitting up. "I think I was up for half the night." Lincoln said tiredly.

"Was your Persona keeping you up too?" Lucy asked, Lincoln shaking his head in response.

"No just other things..."

"Other things?" she asked, shifting in his bed so she was looking at him.

"It's nothing Luce, just a bad dream." He said rubbing his eyes.

"About the mirror world?"

"I don't think so... I really don't remember." he said looking over to her. "Why is your Persona still talking to you?"

"Because my brother's sleep talking was waking me up." she said in her monotone with a smile. Lincoln couldn't help but be embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Luce."

"Don't worry about it." She reassured. "You didn't really say much, but I did hear you say pickles."

"Pickles?" Lincoln asked oddly.

"Yeah what's that about?" Lucy asked.

"I-I honestly don't remember Lucy, my dream was weird." he said. Lucy was a little unconvinced but she knew he rarely remembered his dreams. "What were you talking to your Persona about?" He asked, catching Lucy by surprise.

"Just about...things... a lot of things."

"...like me?" Lincoln asked before a silence hung in the air. Lucy just letting it hang there before Lincoln spoke again. "...do you want to talk about it?"

Lucy took a few long moments to answer, "I was thinking of doing something for you, to thank you for saving me..."

He smiled at her, "Thanks, but you don't have to do anything for me Luce."

"I know, but I want to."

"Okay, what did you have in mind?"

"Well...were you going to go back into that world?"

Lincoln wasn't too surprised to hear her ask that, he nodded, "Yeah Lucy, I can't just ignore that place. What if someone else from our family falls in there? I don't want them to get hurt by those monsters! And well, I kind of want to know why that place is even there."

"Then I'm coming with you." she stated, surprising Lincoln.

"Lucy, you know that place is dangerous!"

"I know, that's why I can't let you go alone."

"Huh?"

Lucy hopped off the bed and sat next to her brother, "Lincoln, I might not be as strong as you, but I want to help you in any way I can. Nevermore has been telling me how I could, do you remember how he found the mirror in the darkness?"

He could vaguely remember Lucy's Persona helping them find their exit, "A little?"

"He's been telling me that, along with fighting the shadows and reflections we might encounter, he'd be able to guide us whenever we need direction. Please Lincoln, if you're planning on going back to that world, promise me you'll take me with you."

Lincoln had to think it over, while he didn't want to put his sister in harm's way, he didn't want to worry her either. She did have a point, going back to that world by himself would be reckless on his part. He and Br'er could take on one shadow no problem, but what if a swarm of them showed up? Or a giant one?

 _"What do you think?"_ Lincoln asked Br'er.

 _"Now you want my opinion?"_ his Persona asked back.

 _"Yes, yes I do."_

 _"I think even if you tell her not to, she'll just follow you anyway. She cares about you, and with that Persona of her's, she'll find you easily."_

 _"Huh, you make a good point."_

"Are you talking to your Persona?" Lucy asked point-blank.

Lincoln nodded, "Well, we decided to take you with us when we-"

Lucy hugged him, "Thank you Lincoln."

"There's one condition Lucy."

She let go of him, and awkwardly scooted back. "What is it?"

"You just have to promise me that you won't go in there alone either, okay?" Lincoln offered his hand for a handshake.

She took his hand, "Deal."

Then everything froze in place. A strange calmness was in the atmosphere as Lincoln heard a new voice in his head.

 _"Thou art I... And I am thou..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It brings thee closer to your full potential, and strengthens your resolve..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed with Personas of the Hermit Arcana..."_

As the voice went away, the world unfroze and Lincoln almost fell over when Lucy shook his hand. She picked up that something disturbed him, "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, another weird thing happened." he awkwardly answered.

 _"What was that?"_ Lincoln asked his Persona.

 _"What was what?"_

 _"That wasn't you?"_

 _"I don't know what you're talking about."_ Sensing the frustration in Br'er's tone, Lincoln decided not to push the question further.

Lucy stood up, "I think dad's up, I can smell something cooking."

Lincoln stuck his nose the air, sniffing the scent coming from downstairs, "Think he's making eggs and bacon again?" he asked. Lucy nodded with a smile.

"He always gets the right amount of black on mine."

"You go ahead, I need to put this away." Lucy left the room, carefully walking over Lincoln on the way out. The white-haired boy rolled up his sleeping bag and tossed it to one corner, he then changed into his everyday clothes now that he had some privacy.

The radiant sunlight seemed to drape over his room through his small window, giving him his reassurance that his night was really over. Even if he was going to go back in to that world, this morning felt like a nice reprieve from what had happened.

Lincoln felt a buzz from his front pocket, he pulled out his cell phone to see a call from Clyde. Lincoln tapped "talk" and put the phone to his ear, "Clyde?"

"Hey Lincoln! Did you uh, try it?"

"Try what?" he then remembered that they were both going to play the Persona Game, "Oh yeah! Yeah, did you see anything in the mirror?"

"Um...not really. It was kinda dark and I was too tired to really see anything. What about you?"

Lincoln was hesitant to talk about his and Lucy's escapades, would Clyde even believe him? "Same here." he lied, "Didn't see much. Oh hey, since we got the rest of the week off, do you want to hang out?"

"Can't, my parents and I are going on a cruise."

"Wait, what? When were you guys going on a cruise?"

"My dads won it at a raffle, they kept it a surprise until yesterday. Hate to cut and run Lincoln but we gotta leave in a few hours and I'm not done packing yet."

"That's alright, have fun Clyde!" Lincoln ended the call and shook his head in disbelief.

 _"Looks like I'm on my own this week."_

 **Morning**

Lincoln left his bedroom and headed down the stairs. Then stopped when he found Lucy standing still at the bottom, staring into the living room. "Waiting for me?" he asked. But she didn't look at him, her gaze was fixated towards the living room.

"Lincoln, what's that?"

"What?" he asked, looking over and going as still as Lucy had. Greeting them was a bizarre blue door decorated with an odd gold marking. Neither of them had seen the door before, it was strikingly out of place in their otherwise normal living room, not helped by the way it seemed to shine without any sort of light hitting it. However, something about it was vaguely familiar to Lincoln. Could it have come from the Mirror World?

Before either of them could take another step, the front door flung open. Luna was in the doorway red eyed, shirt stained with an unappealing brown, and madder than when Mick Swagger had to cancel his tour. She rushed into the house and before Lincoln and Lucy could even say "Hi", she had shoved them aside to get to the stairs.

Luan ran inside just as quickly with concerned on her face, "Luna c'mon, stop acting so upset!" she plead.

"Shove off!" Luna yelled, actually scaring Lincoln a bit.

"Luna, I'm sorry about what happened, but you have to calm down! Let's just make some tea and-" she was stopped by Luna throwing her wet shirt at Luan's face.

"I don't want any bloody tea!" she yelled before running up the stairs.

"Wait Luna!" Luan plead again as she ran up, only to get a large audible slam of her door in her face. "Luna!" she called out again, trying to open her door. Luna had locked her out. "Luna!" she called out once more as Lincoln and Lucy followed her upstairs.

"Go away!" Luna yelled back in defiance. Luan sadly frowned in defeat and walked away from her door. By this time, the rest of the Loud children had stepped out of their rooms to check out the ruckus.

"Why you yelling?" Lily asked, holding onto her blanket.

Luan looked over the group just outside her door, forcing a small smile. "It's just been a rough night guys, that's all." she said, answering to everyone. "Let's... just give Luna some space." she said with some slight hesitation before she headed downstairs, just escaping the situation for the moment.

The others followed behind, "Must've been a really rough one with her going off like that." Lynn stated.

"I assume her foray into professional entertainment didn't go as well as planned?" Lisa theorized as they started for kitchen. Lincoln and Lucy weren't saying anything about Luna at the moment since the door in their living room took more precedence. It only got spookier when their sisters were piling into their living room and saw them just phase through it like it was a ghostly entity. From the looks of it, no one else seemed to notice it but them.

"You guys going to gawk at the window all day?" Lynn asked, noticing Lincoln and Lucy just staring at nothing.

"Ah, no, I was just lost in thought." Lincoln lied. Lynn just shook her head at them.

"You guys got to get your head out of the clouds."

"I make a point for mine not to be." Lucy said as Lola jumped onto the couch.

"Maybe you should Lucy, you might find some diamonds up there." Luan joked, trying to relieve a little bit of her stress. And as usual, no one but her laughed.

"Luan what happened last night?" Lola asked getting right to the point.

"Ah... geez it's so hot in here I'm all out of yolks." Luan nervously chuckled.

"Luan!" Lola yelled, making Luan shudder a bit.

"I-I'm sorry guys, I honestly don't know. I was in the back of the shop when Luna was on stage..." Luan stuttered out.

"Kids breakfast!" Their father announced, a saving grace for Luan who hightailed it to the kitchen.

"Luan!" Lola yelled at her again running after her.

"Oh give her a break princess!" Lana said, now just kind of annoyed at the situation as she, Lynn, Lily, and Lisa went to the kitchen. Lincoln and Lucy now alone in the living room, looking at the bizarre door.

"They really can't see it?" Lincoln thought a loud.

 _"Strange, ain't it?"_ Br'er said in his head.

 _"You don't know what this thing is either?"_ Lincoln asked.

 _"All I know is that it definitely doesn't belong here."_ Br'er said cautiously.

Just then, Lucy reached out for the door, Lincoln noticing just in time to pull her hand away.

"Don't touch it!" he hissed.

"My Persona said we should." Lucy told him.

"Well we shouldn't just run into this."

 _"We can't just ignore it though."_ Br'er told him.

"We can't ignore this Lincoln." Lucy told him, as if thinking the same.

"I wasn't saying that we should." Lincoln said talking to both of them. "But on the off the chance that this is something bad, we're going to want to open this door when no one is home but us."

"That's going to be tricky." Lucy said as their dad called out again.

"Kids breakfast!" Lincoln gestured to the kitchen.

"Maybe we'll get lucky." he said as the two walked into their kitchen. Their sisters were already moving in line for their eggs with some of them already chatting it up at the table. Lisa and Lily were in front of them as Lincoln looked over to see Lola trying to crack down hard on Luan.

"Just say it already!" she yelled as Luan shoveled down some more eggs.

"How about you just eat already?" Lana asked, annoyed at the yelling.

"Yeah, give it a rest." Lynn chipped in.

Lola just scowled at them as Luan finished quick and got up to toss her plate in the sink. Lola was about to follow her before everyone else showed up and sat down, Lincoln actually putting his hand on her shoulder to make sure she didn't try to get up.

"Stop it." Lincoln said sternly. Lola let out a grunt as she brushed off Lincoln's hand and sulked in her seat.

"This is going to be bugging me all day at rehearsal..." Lola muttered under her breath as she nibbled at her food.

"Oh blah, blah whatever." Lana mocked, finishing off a piece of bacon.

"Kids, where's Luna?" Their dad asked, setting his pan in the sink and wiping off his hands.

"We don't-" Lola started to say before Lincoln interrupted.

"Sleeping!"

"Still?" Their dad asked as he reached for his keys.

"She was up late, remember?" Lynn added, Lola shockingly staying silent.

"Oh right, their new jobs! Well, I'll be on my way kids, keep the house clean!" He said with a twirl of his keys as he left out the back door.

Lola got up in a huff and stomped her way upstairs, obviously steamed that her siblings didn't share her same curiosity as to why Luna was so mad. With a hard slam and a yell from Luna to keep it down, Lynn finished her breakfast.

"Glad I'm not sticking around here." She said as she picked up her plate.

"Take me with you." Lana jokingly begged.

"You're just going to play in the mud on the field again." Lynn chastised.

"And that's a bad thing?" she whined.

"Hey I'd want to get out of the house too. Who knows when Lola is leaving for her thing?" Lincoln noted as he finished off his last piece of bacon.

"Given her usual time parameters for such events, I suspect she'll leave before noon to arrive there early." Lisa said as she got out of her chair. "Should anyone need me, I will be in my room. Please remember to knock." She said before leaving, with Lily soon following her.

"Got any plans Luce?" Lynn asked.

"Writing." she answered in monotone without looking up from her meal.

"So the usual?"

"Better than cleaning up the house." Lincoln added, knowing that responsibility would land on him.

"It's not that bad Lincoln." Lana answered, Lincoln hoped she saw the irony of her saying that. It was a more than likely chance there were mud stains somewhere in the house because of her, probably being accompanied by Lynn's foul smelling laundry. With a burp, Lana was finished as was Lynn.

The sink was now full with dishes, and Lincoln went over to start washing as Lynn and Lana left the house. Not without some disagreement of Lana coming along, but all the same Lynn figured she was tagging along to get away from the drama at home.

Lucy helped Lincoln dry off the dishes, being used to doing that, and starting up where their conversation left off. "I think this will probably be as empty as we can get the house." She said.

"Not going to let the door go are you?" Lincoln asked, Lucy looking at him as if that was a stupid thing to ask, which it was.

"Lincoln..." She said insulted as she set a dish down.

Knowing that both the door and Lucy weren't going to go away, Lincoln reluctantly admitted defeat. "Okay, okay, we'll go look at the door." he said in some minor frustration. Lucy cracked a grin as she and her brother got done with the dishes.

Leaving their kitchen for the living room, Lincoln and Lucy faced an obstacle. Luan, laying down on their couch clearly not asleep. Upon seeing her, Lincoln and Lucy tried to back away but the creaky floor gave them away. Luan sprung up with some delay to see who was there, putting on a weak grin when she saw who it was.

"Creaking up on me?" she joked, Lincoln snickering at her bad pun.

"Didn't mean to." He said as he and Lucy started walking again, seeing the door still standing in the living room. Luan sat herself up with a yawn. "Sleeping?" he asked, their mom repeatedly had told them that she never wanted to see any of them sleeping on the couch because she wanted to keep it nice. The wearing leather and squeaks that it made would tell that she didn't accomplish that.

"Well, since my room's more barred up than Fort Knox, I had to make do." She said rubbing her eye. "Lola gone?"

"Went upstairs" Lucy answered, Luan letting out a breath.

"Good, I couldn't stand her bad cop routine much longer."

"Sorry about that, you know how she can be." Lincoln said, sitting next to Luan.

"Yeah, whenever she gets the slightest hint that something's wrong, she wants to know about it."

"So...what's wrong?" Lincoln asked, Lucy taking a seat next to Lincoln.

"Just…" she sighed, breaking eye contact with Lincoln.

"Luan?" Lincoln asked when she didn't immediately continue.

"I tried, I tried so hard, and she just yelled at me."

"Luna?" Lincoln said more than asked. Luan nodded looking back at him, her eyes still had a hanging sense of sadness in them.

"I honestly don't know how it happened. Near the end of her set, Luna suddenly stopped playing and started yelling at the audience. The next thing I knew, she was running to the back crying. I went after her, and found her with our boss who was trying to calm her down and I just panicked and apologized for her."

"But what happened?" Lucy asked, Luan scooting a little in her seat so she was looking at the both of them.

"Some jerks threw hot coffee at her." Both of their mouths fell open as Luan nodded to confirm that it was true. "That's why her shirt was so wet."

"Oh my gosh. Is she okay though?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't know. Boss said that we could go and that he'd handle the customers himself. She wouldn't let me see if she had any burn marks in the car. She just kept yelling at me to take her home, hurry up, shut up and…" she started to tear up before she continued "I just couldn't. I wanted her to talk to me, I wanted to know what happened, and she just screamed at me to shut my mouth."

Lincoln and Lucy were speechless, Luan had brought her hands to her mouth as her eyes watered. It seemed she was fighting back some tears or was getting choked up.

Before Lincoln could reach for her, she stood up. "I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't have told you that."

"Luan it's…"

"Just keep that between us okay?" she asked before rushing upstairs. Lincoln was going to call out for her again but gave up when he thought that if he did, Luna would've just yelled for him to keep it down. Or Lola would hear and then she'd bug her again. Lincoln sat with a sinking feeling in his chest, the way Luan's eyes were stuck in his head to worsen the feeling.

"Lincoln?" Lucy called out, he looking at her then the glow of the door catching his eye, then up the stairs where Luan and Luna were.

"We should help them." he said, getting up from the couch, "Nothing good ever comes out of our sisters fighting each other."

"Right, let's just forget the door for now. It's not like it's going anywhere."

With a nod, Lincoln said, "Okay, I think I might know how we can help them work this out."

"I'm all ears." Lucy said as they started to plot what they would call Operation Reconciliation, after Lucy came up with the shorter name.


	6. Control Issues

**A/N:** _Special thanks to_ **zumby101** _for co-writing and being amazing._

 _Special thanks to_ **foxchick1** _for the motivation, who also gets a cookie._

 _Sorry for the long delay, had a lot of roadblocks with IRL stuff such as work and personal issues. Not much else to say, enjoy!_

 **Afternoon**

Operation Reconciliation had three phases. Phase one, let Luna and Luan rest up while Lincoln and Lucy set phase two into motion. Phase two of the plan involved Lincoln cooking one of Luna's favorite dishes while Lucy cleaned up Luna's shirt, both simple jobs. After throwing Luna's shirt in the washing machine, Lucy headed back upstairs to let the washing machine work its magic and help Lincoln out in the kitchen.

"Hey Lincoln." Lucy greeted, accidentally spooking her brother. "How's the batter going?" she asked as Lincoln regained his composure.

"Going great Luce, can you hand me the paprika?" he gestured to the spice rack. She did so, and Lincoln sprinkled a bit into the bowl. Following that were two eggs, and a can of Dub Bright.

"...Lincoln, are you sure that's supposed to go in there?"

"Lucy, it's not called 'Beer Battered Cod' for nothing." he told her as he emptied the can into the bowl. The batter was mixed thoroughly, and just as Lincoln was about to dip in the dried post-rinsed fish, a squeal pierced the air that almost made him drop it.

"LINCOLN!" Lola yelled from the living room, "Where are you?"

Lincoln rolled his eyes before he yelled back. "What is it Lola?"

"You didn't forget that you have to drive me to my rehearsal today, did you?"

 _"Shit, I knew I was forgetting something."_ Lincoln muttered under his breath so only Lucy could hear. The last thing he needed was another upset sister, "Of course I didn't!" he bluffed.

"Then WHY isn't the van running and ready to go?" she pointed out, calling his bluff, "It's bad enough that I have to _ride_ in that rustbucket, but if I'm even a SECOND late, so help me, you will PAY in a way you will never see coming!" she threatened, making a chill go down Lincoln's spine. The last time she threatened that, Lincoln found a half-burnt copy of one of his more rare comics in his wastebasket.

Seeing his predicament, Lucy took hold of the fish he had in his hand. "You go, I'll handle this." she told him.

"Thanks, I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Lincoln!" Lola yelled out again, making him jump and grab the keys in a flash.

"Coming!" he told her as he rushed out the door, passing by Lola in her pink tutu. Rushing to start Vanzilla, Lincoln watched as Lola just strolled out of their house in no hurry to the van. "Oh come on..." he grumbled to himself as she hopped into the passenger seat and carefully buckled her seat belt so it didn't ruin her dress.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go, go, go!" Lola ordered as Lincoln rolled out of the driveway with a groan. "And quit your whining already!"

Lincoln frowned, "Lola, your rehearsal doesn't start for another half hour at least and it only takes-"

"Lincoln," she cut him off, "It always helps to arrive before the competition."

"What competition? I thought this was for a recital."

"Shows what you know! Those stupid organizers haven't decided who's going to be the lead yet, and it's going to be me or else your butt's going to be burnt by the end of the day!" she threatened. Lincoln kept quiet after that, even though Lola kept going on about the right make up for the show or if the pink tutu made her look best for this and whether or not the white one would've been better.

Soon enough, their destination was in view. Lincoln turned into the parking lot for Royal Woods Civic Theater and unlocked the door, "Here we are, good luck Lola. Call me when it's over."

Lola gave him a sinister grin, "Oh, is that how you think this day is going to go?" she scoffed.

"Excuse me?" he asked as she held up her smartphone.

"I believe you promised to record the whole thing for me." she sang, Lincoln gave her a perplexed look as he put the van in park.

"I don't remember promising that, and I don't got time for that today."

"You don't?" she playfully acted surprised before tapping on her phone, "Maybe this will help jog your memory..." she brought up a video recording of the door to Lincoln's room. The door opened, and the camera made its way to his bed, and a pink-gloved hand pulled up the mattress to reveal a hidden old box. Lincoln started to sweat as the box was opened and inside were some very raunchy manga and comics, definitely not from your run-of-the-mill book store. Before he could protest, Lola waved a finger at him, "Ah, ah, ah! One more word and I'll send this to mom."

Lincoln sighed as couldn't think of a quick way out of this, he shut off the van in defeat. Lola kept smiling as her brother pinched the bridge of his nose, "...I really should hide those better."

"I know, right? Don't you know what seeing even the covers of those disgusting things could do to a child?" she unbuckled her seat belt, "Now move your butt! We need to find the best angle to catch me on film!"

"Fine Lola, you can count on me." he said abruptly as he opened his door.

"Aw, thank you Lincoln!"

 **XxXxX**

Lucy stared at the tray of the now battered fish, unsure what to do next. While each of the Loud children had some amount of cooking skill, Lucy was tied with Lynn for having the least. While Lynn would simply eat whatever she lazily threw together, Lucy had only used the kitchen in order to make homebrew blood and guts. Any attempt at cooking a meal led to it being burnt and almost inedible. For Lincoln's plan, she figured she could at least apply the batter and wait for him to get home.

Then her phone vibrated and she got his text:

 _"Lucy, change in plans, you'll have to bake the fish yourself._

 _-Lincoln."_

At the drop of a dime, the kitchen seemed to get smaller after she read that. Surely baking them couldn't be too difficult, right? The oven was already on and all she'd have to do was put the tray full of fish inside, right? Nothing could go wrong, right? Lucy felt the anxiety crawl up her back, not helping was the slight scorch mark visibly on the stove from the time she almost burnt the kitchen down.

"Oh crud." Lucy said to herself.

"Who turned the oven on?" Luan called from the stairs.

"Shoot." Lucy again said to herself, "Just me."

"Lucy? _You're_ cooking? Luan asked in surprise as she walked into the kitchen.

"Uh...yeah. Just a little hungry is all, no big deal." Lucy said still holding a fish as Luan approached her. She poked the fish, taking a small sample of the batter that covered it and inspected it.

"Batter me impressed! I didn't think you could do this all on your own Luce!"

"Actually-" that's when an idea hit Lucy, "...actually Luan, I really could use your help. Do you have the time?"

"I would have the time, but I haven't got a watch! Ha-ha, get it?"

Lucy didn't laugh with her.

"Yeah, I've got time."

 **XxXxX**

When the rehearsal was finished, Lola strutted up to her brother with a smug smile. Lincoln braced himself for his sister's gloating. "Here she is! The star of the show!"

Lincoln groaned, "Yeah, I know."

"And you got it all recorded, right?"

"Sure do." Lincoln handed her the phone, "Satisfied?"

Lola took the phone and played the video Lincoln had recorded, "Oh Lincoln, I'll only be satisfied when the whole world knows my name."

He rolled his eyes, "Why am I not surprised? Let's go." he left his seat and headed for the exit.

Lola went after him, "Hey, hey! What's with the attitude?"

They had reached the exit, and Lincoln led the two outside, "I had something to do today Lola, and the last thing I needed was you strong-arming me into doing your bidding."

"Oh, it couldn't have been that important Lincoln. Not as much as my-"

"Can we just go home, please?" Lincoln interrupted as he pulled out his phone, Lola scoffing at his statement.

"Rude! That is no way to treat a lady!" she said in her bratty tone as Lincoln typed away.

 _"Sorry Lucy, Lola being Lola, everything okay?"_

Not even a moment later, he got a text back, _"Cod's in the oven Linc. Luan's helping me."_

Lincoln let out a sigh of relief, maybe this would work out after all.

"Lincoln! Why aren't you getting the door for me!"

"Ugh..." Lincoln dug into his pocket for the keys and unlocked the van doors, he then went over to open the passenger door for Lola, "Your chariot, your majesty." he dryly announced.

Lola carefully took her seat, "Why thank you, servant, maybe I won't have your head served on a platter after all."

"Sure, whatever." Lincoln sighed as he slammed the door then went over to the driver's side and got inside himself. He started the van and began to back out of their parking spot. Lola was watching the video he recorded, and shot a few glances his way.

"You know what your problem is, Lincoln?" she suddenly asked him as they got onto the road.

He nodded, "I have way too many demanding and selfish sisters."

Lola rolled her eyes, "Well, yes, but I meant more with you personally."

They stopped at a stop sign, "Lola, if you have a problem with me just say it. I don't like playing guessing games with you."

"Your problem is that you let everyone walk all over you." she told him, "You barely got a backbone! Heck, you're easily manipulated by a girl nearly half your age! Granted it's me, but still!"

Lincoln shrugged and stepped on the gas again, "I guess, but I don't get why you're suddenly telling me this."

"Believe it or not, I do worry about you Lincoln. I mean what if some other girl takes advantage of you?" Lincoln scoffed at that.

"Says the girl who blackmailed me with a video of-"

"Mom already knows about your stash, Lincoln." Lola said nonchalantly.

He quickly turned towards her, "Wait what!?"

"Lincoln! The road!" Lola shrieked. Her brother quickly swerving back to his side of the road with his jaw dropped.

"Lola, what!?" he said looking back at her in shock.

"Lincoln, chill! I told her months ago!"

"She's known that long..." he said under his breath while Br'er was laughing hysterically inside his head.

"She wasn't too surprised about it either Lincoln. You know, since you're a teenaged boy and all, mom just told me to stay out of it." Lola explained leaving Lincoln confused.

"But then why did you threaten to-"

"For two reasons." she interjected. "One, to make the point clear that you're way too easy to manipulate. You seriously need someone to teach you how to take charge when things aren't looking good for you."

"Right." Lincoln said dismissively.

"I'm serious!" Lola shot back.

"And who's going to teach me that? You?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Lola said proudly.

"You're joking."

"I never joke when I want to help a needy cause." she said with conviction and that smile she practiced so many times for her pageants. She may be brat sometimes, but in her own twisted way she could be an angel.

Then it happened again, everything froze, and Lincoln felt the same calmness from before as he heard yet another new voice in his head.

 _"Thou art I...And I am thou..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It brings thee closer to your full potential, and strengthens your resolve..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed with Personas of the Devil Arcana..."_

Lincoln shook as the moment passed, Vanzilla going over a small pothole to snap him out of it.

" _You okay kid?"_ Br'er asked.

 _"It happened again, just like with Lucy."_

"Geez how did you even get a license?" Lola mocked.

Lincoln snapped back to reality, "I'm sorry I..."

"Ah bububup! First lesson: never be sorry."

"Right..." Lincoln said with a roll of his eyes. "Wait, what was the second reason?"

"Oh second, I REALLY wanted you to record me. You got an eye for detail Lincy."

Lincoln didn't know whether to feel flattered or insulted, either way, they were slowing down to a stop in front of the Loud House. Lincoln put the van in park and killed the engine.

Lola gave him a haughty smile, "Now, get the door for me, servant."

He grins back, "You can get it yourself."

She smiled, "Very good, but seriously, can you please help me out? I don't want to ruin this tutu."

Soon enough, Lincoln and Lola were back inside the house. The smell of home-cooked cod and fries refreshed Lincoln's memory of Operation Reconciliation. The aroma also appeared to lure Luna out of her room as Lincoln saw her approach the top of the stairs.

"Well, if it isn't Ms. Fuzzy Britches herself!" Lola suddenly said, causing Lincoln to shush her.

"Do you even know what that means?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow, "Do you?"

Lincoln shook his head, "Look, just please leave Luna alone."

Lola gave an exaggerated gasp, "What do you take me for?"

"Evil." Lincoln answered.

"True, but not insane." Lola headed up the stairs, "Thanks for the help Lincoln!"

 _"So Lola's the Devil, I'm not even surprised."_ Lincoln thought to himself.

 _"Your family is weird."_ Br'er flatly told him.

 _"You have no idea."_

"Hey bro... what's up?" the aspiring rocker made her way down the stairs with downcast eyes. Wearing her nightie and overall just looking very beat up and rough. Not the worst Lincoln has seen of his sisters, but definitely a low for Luna.

"Not much, just got back from Lola's rehearsal." he answered.

"Fun."

"You sleep okay?" he asked as she got to the last step, shaking her head in response.

"Nah... not even a wink." she replied before an awkward silence between them. Lincoln really hadn't planned on meeting her this early, and wasn't fully sure what to say right now. He didn't want to risk putting her in a worse mood by mistake or getting a yelling like Luan did. "Um..." Luna spoke up, breaking the odd moment, "I was a bloody git this mornin' Lincoln...sorry 'bout that."

"Hey, no sweat." Lincoln assured her, "Must've been a rough night though."

She shook her head with a sigh, "'Rough' doesn't start to describe it dude...it was just awful." she said, folding her arms in.

"What happened then?" he asked.

Luna turned to the side with her face relaxing a bit, "It's a long story bro. I don't want to lay it all out right now."

"Oh, well that's alright Luna." he again reassured.

"But...let's just say I saw someone I used to know, and said some really stupid things to them..." she said while rubbing the sides of her arms. "...then when we left, I said a lot more stupid things to Luan and I couldn't stop..."

Lincoln then reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. "It's okay Luna, it's not like I haven's said dumb things before." he told her with a smile. Whether for him or if she really meant it, Luna gave a slight smile back.

"Thanks...so what's cooking? I could smell it from upstairs." she asked.

"Oh, uh, Lucy and Luan were making up some-"

"Wait..." she interrupted taking a big whiff. "I know that smell!" Luna exclaimed as that small smile slowly grew on her face. "Blimey, fish 'n chips! Me favorite!"

In a flash, all Lincoln saw was a blur rushing for the kitchen, meaning that the operation was either going just as planned or out of control. In any case, he followed the blur, and found Luna frozen in place with Luan in front of her holding a plate with a prepared meal. Lucy was nowhere to be seen, unsurprisingly.

"Luan..." Luna was fidgeting a bit standing in front of her.

With a smile, Luan asked, "Hungry?"

As soon as Lincoln saw Luna wrap her arms around their funny sister he knew their operation was complete.

"Luan, I'm so sorry I-."

Luan had set the plate down and returned the hug, "Shh, it's okay..."

As he watched, Lincoln wondered if he should say something. But before he could really think, he felt a tug from behind and ended up being pulled back into the living room. Nearly jumping when he saw Lucy was the one who did it.

"Mission accomplished?' she asked in a whisper.

"Mission complete." he answered with a thumbs up.

"Good...it looks like the coast is clear too..." she said before the two turned towards the blue door, practically begging to be opened now. Making their way to it, Lincoln took in a deep breath before turning to Lucy.

"You ready?"

"Been ready." she answered simply.

 _"What could be on the other side?"_ Lincoln asked internally.

 _"Who knows? It could be a whole 'nother world at this point."_ answered Br'er.

"...okay, let's go." Lincoln reached for the handle of the door and pulled.

Suddenly, the two were blinded by a bright light.

And they were gone.

 **XxXxX**

 **Elsewhere...**

In a dark room illuminated solely by a dim bulb, a lone figure sat in front of a computer screen that was displaying a video conference with a silhouette.

 **"...impossible. Another world inside of a mirror?"** asked the silhouette using a distorted voice modulator.

"Trust me, I didn't believe it myself until I took my first steps in. But it's there, I made us a way in."

 **"...and anything inside can now get out?"**

"I'm keeping it monitored, if anything _does_ get out, I'll make sure it won't stay out for long..." the figure turned the camera to a masked shadow that was somehow caged in a bizarre device "...or at the very least, I'll secure and contain any anomalies."


	7. Forearmed

**A/N:** _Finally got my hands on Persona 5. And I'm loving it._

 _Thanks to_ **zumby101** _again for his help. It really saved me from writer's block._

 **XxXxX**

The bright light faded, and a familiar blue room came into view along with a familiar bird-nosed man wearing a tuxedo and a wide grin. Familiar to Lincoln at least, not so much to Lucy. The two found themselves sitting on a blue couch across from the bizarre man.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." greeted Igor,"I see you've brought a guest with you."

Lucy got closer to Lincoln, nearly hiding behind him, "Lincoln, who is that?" she asked in a whisper.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the bizarre man said with a bow, "I am Igor, an inhabitant of this room, and I am currently providing assistance to your brother."

Lincoln pieced together the connection with the Velvet Room and the blue door, "So, were you the one that put that blue door in our living room?" he asked.

Igor shook his head, "No. On the contrary, I have no control over the location of the doors that lead to this room. They tend to appear wherever it is most convenient to our guests."

Lucy looked around the room, perplexed by it's choice of decor, "...what exactly is this place?" she asked, "Why is it all blue, and why does it look like our living room?"

"This is a room that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. As for accommodations, the room has been carefully constructed to be comfortable for our guests."

Lincoln can remember hearing this all before, and then remembered what Igor had told him during his last visit, "Didn't you say something about entering into a contract?" he asked.

The odd man nodded, "Indeed I did, and I see that you've entered into a contract since we've last met." a light blue piece of paper appeared out of thin air, and Igor held it in the air for the two guests to see, " **The promise to explore the new world you had discovered, to find of its purpose, and to keep your family safe from the danger of this existence.** Is this correct?"

Lincoln nodded, and saw his name slowly appear on the aqua parchment in gold lettering. The contract then vanished out of thin air.

"As per the conditions of the contract, I shall do my part to assist in any way I can. This includes access to this room, and all of its functions."

"Does that mean you'll help us fight the shadows?" Lucy asked.

Igor shook his head, "Not directly, no, but I have a few ways to assist your endeavors. But first, I would like to introduce you two to my assistants..."

Just then, two figures appeared in the room, causing both Lincoln and Lucy to jump. One looked to be a very tall and thin man with sunken eyes and short hair. The other appeared to be a very short woman with long hair and dull eyes who held a blue book at her side. Both had pale skin, yellow eyes, and white hair and were wearing odd blue clothing looking similar to a butler and maid respectively.

"To your left is Eli, a craftsman that can give form to your sleeping power."

The tall man bowed before them, "Greetings Master Lincoln and Miss Lucy. I am Eli, and I shall **craft weapons** for you that will strike down both the wicked and the holy." he spoke with a soft, polite voice.

"Weapons?" Lincoln and Lucy both asked.

"There will be time for that in a moment." Igor interrupted, "To your right is Elly, who will help you summon the Personas that lay dormant."

The short woman stood still, "I'm Elly, nice to meet you." she greeted flatly.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Lincoln tried to break the ice, "And you-"

"My one duty is to assist you." she interrupted, "I will keep track of the bonds you make through your **Social Links,** and through those I can assist my master with summoning new Personas."

"Social Links?" Lincoln asked.

Elly opened up the blue book she held and read from it, "...Lincoln Loud, you currently have three social links: **The Fool** , represented by yourself. **The Hermit** ,which is being represented by your sister Lucy. And **The Devil** , which is being represented by your sister Lola."

"Lola's the Devil?" Lucy asked, "That's not surprising."

"Wait, you already know who we are?" Lincoln asked.

Elly looked up, "Of course. I know lots of things." she looked over at Lucy, "... _lots_ of things..."

Lucy blushed and curled up in her seat to hide herself.

The small woman looked back to Lincoln, "Not that it matters to me, how you form and deepen your **bonds** is your business."

Lincoln cocked his head to the side, "Bonds?"

Elly cleared her throat, "The more bonds you form, the more Personas will be available to you. The deeper the bond, the more powerful your Personas will become. Do you follow?"

The boy scratched his head, "Eh...sort of? You want me to form bonds so I can get more Personas?"

"Right now, you have access to one Persona - _Br'er Rabbit_ of the _Fool_ arcana - but with the help of my master and I, you'll now be able to access two more thanks to the bonds you've established already. Of course, this function is only available to you as you've drawn the **wild card**."

Before Lincoln could ask, Igor answered his question, "The wild card is like the number 0. Seemingly empty, but brimming with limitless potential. My contribution to your journey will be to help you bring out that potential, and strengthen your resolve."

"Okay, how do we do that?" Lincoln asked.

Igor outstretched his hand to Lincoln, "Come a bit closer and I'll show you."

Lincoln got off the couch and approached Igor, and reached for his hand. Before they could touch, a card materialized between them, and Lincoln pulled his hand back in reaction.

Igor grinned at him, "Don't be scared. Take the card you see before you, and you will gain a new Persona."

Lincoln took a deep breath and grabbed the card. He flipped it over to its front and saw an image depicting some sort of black-tailed snake woman with the number IX above the image, and beneath it was the name "Lamia".

Then, he heard a woman's voice, " _I am Lamia, once the queen of Libya, cursed to have a snake's tail by the gods. Take care young man, you'll be eaten if you're not careful."_

Igor nodded, "Very good. Now, once more..." he held out his hand again, and another card appeared.

Lincoln grabbed this card and flipped it over to see a shameless young woman with bat-like wings and a pointy tail posing in a very revealing one-piece pink leotard with the number XV above her, below her was the name "Lilim".

 _"Hi cutie! I'm Lilim! Ooh! You're a pervy one! I'm gonna have fun with you!"_

"What the fuck?" Lincoln yelped out in surprise with Igor giggling at his reaction.

"Having trouble with your new Persona? You may change to a different one any time you wish. Whether you find yourself having trouble with an enemy, or if you tire of the one you're currently using, switch to another by drawing from your **deck.** "

"My... what?" Lincoln had misheard what the odd man had said.

"Your deck is where your Personas are stored." Elly began to explain, "Close your eyes and envision your deck, when you see the cards before you, reach out to the one you want to use."

"Okay..." Lincoln took a deep breath and shut his eyes. In a moment, he saw three cards hovering in front of him. He reached out for Br'er Rabbit's card, and grasped it out of the air.

 _"Woo! What a ride!"_ spoke a familiar voice.

 _"Where did you go?"_ Lincoln asked internally.

 _"I ended up in your subconscious kid, it's where I'm usually at if I'm not bugging ya. But damned if I didn't think you'd end up gaining more Personas!"_

 _"Yeah, what do you think of those two?"_

 _"Eh, the demon chick is sexy and the snake lady has issues. Both are bangable I'd say."_

Lincoln sweat out of exasperation, _"Forget I asked."_

 _"'No prob kid. I'm heading back there, see ya!"_

"Now, I believe it is time to get you two armed." Igor told them, snapping Lincoln out of his head. He turned towards the taller assistant, "Eli, it is time for you to use your most unique gift..."

Eli stepped forward and bowed to Lincoln, "Master Lincoln, I wish to craft a weapon for you. To do so, I need to reach into the sea of your soul, and pull out the power that sleeps within. Will you allow me?"

Lincoln was a bit put off by the politeness and shrugged, "Uh, sure?"

The tall man raised his right arm up, "Thank you, please hold still." he then suddenly shoved his arm towards Lincoln's forehead. Then his hand went _into_ Lincoln's forehead.

"Wait a minute! What! What! What!" Lincoln began to shout.

"What are you doing!" Lucy screamed.

"Please do calm down Master Lincoln and Miss Lucy!" Eli told them as he moved his arm further into Lincoln's forehead, "This is a very delicate procedure!"

"It feels weird!" Lincoln screeched. As the otherworldly being poked around inside Lincoln's noggin, he tried to pinpoint exactly what this new sensation was. The best comparison Lincoln could make would be if he put an ice pack on his head and the ice somehow forced its way inside and began a rampage upon his psyche.

"Calm down! Relax! It's almost over!" Eli started to pull out his arm and hand and finally exited, "Found it!" he announced. Lincoln and Lucy looked at what Eli had pulled out and saw some sort of glowing, moving orb. Moving as if it was alive. He held it up for the two.

"What...what is that? Why was it inside my head?" Lincoln asked.

Lucy was in awe of its glow, "Wow...I can feel its energy."

"This here, Master Lincoln and Miss Lucy, is a rare material that I like to call **Forma**. It is, in essence, the inner strength from whichever being that produces it. In another way, this is you, Master Lincoln." Eli handled the Forma, and it began to change shape with his touch, "Forma may come from any particular being be it human or otherwise, but obtaining it is quite difficult to do. Every Forma is unique, and there are certain forms that suit them best. While some may be similar, I've yet to come across two that are exactly the same. Now, let's see what shape your Forma wishes to be..."

Eli stopped and held up the Forma again. Lincoln and Lucy watched as it lit up the room in a bright flash. When the flash subsided, the two saw that the glowing Forma was gone and in its place was a longsword. The blue butler held the sword in his hands and inspected it closely.

"Ah, the classic sword. The weapon of choice for those who seek to lead and inspire. A favorite among heroes." he held it out for Lincoln.

Lincoln hesitated to touch the blade. He had never held a weapon before now, let alone a sword that just came out of his head. His nervousness was noticed.

"Go on Master Lincoln, this is my gift to you. May it serve you well."

Hearing that only pressured him more. Lincoln took a deep breath and grabbed onto the longsword's grip and tried to pick it up with one hand. He didn't take in account on how heavy it would be, and the blade fell forward with the edge slicing through Eli's outfit and flesh underneath, making a visible cut along his torso. On reflex, Lincoln grabbed the grip with both hands before it hit the ground, "Oh shit! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" he cried out upon seeing the mark he made.

Eli stood still for a moment, "Nothing you need to worry about, Master Lincoln." then the mark Lincoln had made vanished, and the fabric that made up the butler outfit started to re-stitch itself until the damage was completely gone.

Lincoln's mouth couldn't be more open, he somehow manage to utter the question: "How did you do that?"

"Again, nothing you need to worry about, Master Lincoln. I advise you to refrain from trying to harm me in the future. It will not end well for you." Eli then directed his attention towards Lucy, leaving Lincoln to practice swinging his new weapon away from anyone else, "Miss Lucy, I wish to craft a weapon for you also. To do so, I need to reach into the-"

"Go ahead." Lucy told him, already having heard his spiel already.

Eli approached her and raised up his arm, then stopped. He looked over Lucy with confusion.

"...what is it?" she asked.

Eli lowered his arm and bowed, "Forgive me, but can you please move your um...your..."

"What?"

"Your hair...it uh...it's in the way."

Lucy shrugged, "Just push through it."

Eli stopped bowing and started waving his hands in front of him, "No, no, no! Forgive me, I just don't like touching hair..."

Lucy crossed her arms in defiance, her cheeks started to blush, "W-well I don't like like showing my whole face! Just shove it in and deal with it!"

"Eli, don't harass our guests." Igor started, "Put your anxieties aside and do your duty."

Eli sighed, "Yes sir, sorry sir." he bowed again, "My apologies Miss Lucy, please forgive my uneasiness..." The butler closed his eyes as he pushed his arm forward into the dark forest of hair that hid Lucy's forehead. He grimaced from touching her hair, and seemed to be trying to find the Forma as fast as he could.

Lucy on the other hand remained perfectly calm and still.

Soon enough, the arm pulled back out and in Eli's hand was another Forma. He gave a sigh of relief, "Okay...got it..."

"How was it for you, Lucy?" Lincoln asked, a bit concerned having just gone through it himself.

She shrugged, "Wasn't what I expected. I guess it was alright."

The velvet craftsman helped Lucy's Forma shape into its desired form. He held it up, and another bright light covered the area. A spear appeared in his hand. "...a spear? Hmm...odd choice for a little girl like-"

Lucy snatched the spear out of his hand and held it close, "No way!" she exclaimed, "This is the kind of thing Vlad the Impaler would use against his enemies! He would pierce them, then plant them to the ground to make an example out of them!"

Lincoln and Eli each gave her a look of concern while Elly remained stone-faced and Igor kept his large grin, "I'm glad you like it." said the large-nosed man.

Eli regained his composure as he took his place back to the right side of Igor, "There's something to keep in mind about your weapons." he stated, "As you fight shadows and reflections, your weapons will absorb trace amounts of Forma from them. Once your weapons collect enough, I advise you to bring them to me so I may improve them."

"I believe that is all we have to offer for now." Igor announced, "However you use these gifts will be up to you."

Lincoln looked over at Lucy, still admiring her new weapon, and nodded, "Thank you Igor."

He just keeps his smile, "No thanks are necessary, I wish you the best of luck."

And just like that, the Velvet Room began to fade.

 **XxXxX**

Lincoln and Lucy found themselves back in their living room. They could still hear Luan comforting Luna in the kitchen. The two looked at each other, "Uh, how long were we gone?" Lincoln asked.

"Dunno. It looks like it wasn't that long though."

Igor's words echoed in Lincoln's head that the Velvet Room was in-between mind and matter. Maybe time didn't exist there? The two looked up when the front door opened, Lana walked inside the house looking bummed out and shut the door behind her.

"Welcome home Lana." Lincoln greeted, "Uh, weren't you with Lynn today?"

Lana walked over with her head down a bit, "Lynn went to the gym downtown again, said I couldn't come with-" she looked up at them and stopped when she entered the living room. Her eyes went wide with wonderment, "Where did ya get those?" she asked.

"Get what?" Lincoln then remembered that he was carrying a sword and Lucy was holding a spear.

Lana ran up to them, "Wow! They look so real!"

Thinking fast, Lincoln came up with a quick excuse, "Oh, we bought these at the convention. They're uh, replicas from Swordcraft Online."

Lana's smile faded and raised an eyebrow to him, "I thought you hated that anime?"

"Uh, I do but uh..." he started to stammer.

"They were too cool to pass up." Lucy added, "Plus we got a good deal on them."

Lana smiled again and reached for the sword, "So cool! Let me check the metalwork!"

Lincoln lifted the sword above his head, "No! I uh, I just finished polishing it!"

 _"Nice excuse."_ Br'er snarked.

Lana pouted, "Fine, I get that. But hey, bring me next time so I can get my own." with that, she headed upstairs.

Lincoln sighed and sank into the couch cushion, "I'm getting too many close calls..."

Lucy looked over her spear again, "We should probably hide these, I don't think everyone will be easily fooled." she advised.

Lincoln tapped his chin, "...I think I know a good hiding spot.

 **XxXxX**

Lincoln put the loose attic floorboard back in place after stashing his sword and Lucy's spear under it, wrapped in some unused bed sheets they found up there. "That should do it, now we just need to remember to grab them the next time we head into the mirror."

Lucy nodded, "That reminds me, when _are_ we going back in?"

"How about tomorrow? Today was kinda busy, but I don't got much planned for the rest of the week."

"Tomorrow sounds good."

"Kids! We're home!" called their mom from downstairs.

"Hey, has someone been cooking? It smells great in here!" called their dad.

"Someone has, and they didn't burn the house down when they did." Lincoln joked with Lucy.

"Yeah..." Lucy said with an awkward chuckle. "Don't ever put me in that situation again. There's only so much of Luan's jokes that I can take."

"I know your pain Luce."he assured her as he pat her shoulder, "C'mon, let's head back down. I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Just don't expect me to cook this time. I'd rather we get some take-out."

"Let's see if we can get mom and dad to get us Chinese."

 **Evening**

It took a little persuasion, but the parents caved in to their children's pleas and ordered in some Chinese take-out. The real selling point was that Luan and Luna already eaten all the beer-battered cod that was prepared, much to Mr. Loud's dismay. The rocker and the comedian had left again for the all-night café and Lynn Jr. was nowhere in sight at the dinner table, and so everyone else got to split the lion's share of the food.

Lincoln had finished early and made his way up the stairs burping from the orange chicken and picking out pieces of teriyaki beef in his teeth with the skewer.

 _"Pig."_ Br'er mocked.

 _"Jealous you can't eat any?"_ Lincoln asked as he made his way into his room.

 _"Just enjoy your cat on a stick and call it a night already."_

 _"Yup, jealous."_

He plopped down onto his bed and booted up his laptop for some "Lincoln time". Before he could go on Youview though, he noticed one of his notifications flashing.

"Hmm?"

Lincoln's eyes were drawn to the bottom of the screen where the CamChat notification was flashing. He clicked it to see that Lori was trying to call him. Not unusual since she liked to call him up every week or so to see how everything was. Seeing that she was still online, he decided to call her back. Two rings later and throwing away the stick in his hand, a video screen popped up showing Lori wearing a bright blue sweater.

"Hey Lincoln!" she said with a wave.

Lincoln waved back, "Hey Lori, how's MU?"

She shrugged, "Only been back a week, and I just feel done for now. How's everything back at the house?"

He shrugged, "Eh, you know. Constantly on the verge of collapse." he half-joked.

Lori grinned at him knowingly, "But you're there to keep it together, right?"

"Yup!"

They shared a laugh, with Lori sitting down making the camera shake.

"But really, what's up? Everybody's been quiet." she asked and boy Lincoln didn't know where to start. He omitted the part about him fainting a couple days ago and of course all the Persona and mirror world stuff. But he had to tell her about the stuff with Lola and Luna.

"Oh man, that's rough for Luna." Lori said surprised, stirring a cup coffee she had in hand.

"I know, it was nuts! Luan tried like crazy to cheer her up. Luckily we got everything taken care of so she shouldn't be having as rough a night tonight." Lincoln said leaning into his backboard.

"Jobs are tough, especially restaurants." Lori admitted with a sigh.

"Café." Lincoln corrected.

"Same thing! Point is, growing up sucks." Lori said bluntly.

He groaned, "You don't have to say that twice."

"Like, really Lincoln, you have no idea." Lori said sipping on her coffee, "One moment you're in high school hanging out with your friends. The next, it's become a challenge to see them even once a month."

"You have any idea how much you sound like mom right now?" Lincoln quipped. Lori shooting him a glare.

"You ever think that might be a good thing?" Lori asked.

With a shrug Lincoln responded, "Sounding like mom?"

"No!" Lori flared up waking Lincoln up a bit. "Like sounding more mature or sounding professional, you know what I mean?"

"No?" Lincoln said confused. Lori in a scoff just slumped slightly in her chair.

"Forget it, nevermind…" She said disappointed.

"Lori are you okay?" Lincoln asked, Lori pricking up a eyebrow curiously.

"I'm fine why?"

"Just...I don't know, you're sounding off." Lincoln said. Whenever they talked, they seldom spoke objectively. It was always about family, what they were doing, or just what was generally happening. Whatever Lori was talking about now was just odd. Lori shuffled in her seat a bit holding her coffee with both hands.

"It's nothing really, at least I think it's nothing..." Lori said trailing off as she took the last sip of her coffee.

Lincoln got closer to the camera, "It doesn't sound like nothing. Come on Lori, what's up?"

Lori sighed, "It's just...I'm still trying to get the idea of being an adult, you know? I'm twenty-two and still in college, so I guess I don't really _need_ to be one right now, but it's been on my mind for the past while. Like, am I literally an adult right now?"

Lincoln shrugged, "Eh, they say you're legally an adult at eighteen. But social studies taught me that there's tons of different ways people go about considering when someone reaches adulthood."

"Oh, I know about that. 'Rite of passage' things and stuff like that?"

Lincoln perked up surprised, "Yeah, like some cultures say you only become a man if you hunt or go on some journey of self-discovery."

"Don't forget, others say you become an adult when you first have...well, you know." she said with a smirk.

Without thinking Lincoln responded with "I don't really feel like an adult..." When he realized what he was saying, he quickly covered his mouth. But he wasn't fast enough for Lori not to notice.

With a twitch of her eyebrow she asked, "What Lincoln?"

In a panic, he tried to take a step back, "Uh...I mean that I haven't done any of those things!" Lincoln stammered out embarrassed.

Lori wasn't convinced and looked at him with a hint of pity, "You always were a bad liar Lincoln." she said. Lincoln looked down out of shame and curled up a bit. Lori took a deep breath and spoke again, "Now look, I don't know if anything happened and I'm not going to force you to tell me. But if you need to get something off your chest, I'm right here."

Lincoln had to pause, he really didn't want to tell her. But then he thought it over in his head and remembered that he had already faced this anxious topic in the mirror world. Heck, even Lucy now knew all the gritty details and he wasn't too uncomfortable with that.

"Okay, I'll tell you..." and so, Lincoln confided in Lori. He told her about Ronnie Anne, about how she had urged him into intimacy, about how she dumped him afterward, and about how he found out that she had slept with another guy behind his back.

And Lori listened to it all, nodding, sighing, and gasping throughout. By the end, Lori had covered her mouth in shock from Lincoln's recollection of the events.

"...I just don't know what I did wrong." Lincoln said as Lori brought her hands back to her lap.

"Lincoln, you did nothing wrong." Lori quickly told him, shaking her head, "Not from what you told me."

"Then...why would she do something like that?" he asked, "I'd get it if she just wanted to end our relationship, but why cheat on me, have sex with me, and then dump me?"

Lori sighed, "I don't know Lincoln. I wish I did..." she pushed back some of her hair behind her ear, "But really, Clyde told you about her cheating on you?"

"He showed me this...video that was being shared around the school...she was in it."

"Are you sure?"

"She uh, has this birthmark on her-"

"Whoa, okay, I get it..." she quickly said cutting him short, hoping that it wasn't like the birthmark Bobby had. "But shoot, and that got sent around the school?"

Lincoln shrugged, "I guess? A couple of kids in our grade got the video and it kinda spread like the flu. I keep hearing them whisper about me, mainly because they know I was going out with her, and because they knew who else was in the video."

"Wow..." Lori said in a mix of awe and disgust, "That sucks..."

"...Ronnie Anne stopped coming to school too." Lincoln added.

"What?"

"Yeah, she just stopped showing up during the middle of last week. Some kids and even a few of the teachers are already thinking she dropped out."

"Did she?"

"Dunno." Lincoln answered honestly, "But I wouldn't blame her. I'm at least getting some sympathy, she's the one getting all the nasty stuff said about her."

Lori looked down away from the camera, as though she wanted to say something but didn't know what or how. She kept quiet for a good minute before looking back up, "I'm sorry that you had to go through that Lincoln."

He gave her a small smile, "It's okay Lori, I still got all my sisters to cheer me up."

Lori smiled back, "Give it some time little bro. I think you'll be okay, but let me know if you need to talk about anything else."

Lincoln nodded, "...you're not gonna tell anyone?"

Lori shook her head, "Not unless you want me to. I might be able to explain the situation better to mom and dad if you want them to know."

"No way!" Lincoln said in a panic making Lori jump. He took a step back before he spoke again, "I mean, not now at least. I don't think they've gotten over Leni telling them about her college boyfriend the last time you two were here..."

Lori nervously laughed, "Oh yeah...did you guys replace the table yet?"

"Nah, but Lana fixed it up."

"Good. In any case Lincoln, I'm glad that you're trying to handle this as mature as you can. You might not feel like it, but I think you're starting to become an adult. Just don't think you need to rush it, okay?"

"Thanks Lori." Lincoln paused a moment, "And I'll be sure to let you know if I need someone to talk to."

Lori smiled, "Glad to hear it."

For the third time that day, Lincoln felt his world calmly stop and heard another voice in his head.

 _"Thou art I...And I am thou..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It brings thee closer to your full potential, and strengthens your resolve..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed with Personas of the Empress Arcana..."_

At this point, Lincoln had gotten used to the voices, and so he showed no surprise when hearing them again.

Lori yawned a bit before speaking again, "Sorry to cut and run Lincoln, but I got classes tomorrow and I got to study a bit before going to sleep."

"Gotcha, goodnight Lori."

"Goodnight Lincoln!" and with that, she ended the call.

Lincoln laid back on the bed, a bit exhausted from rushing through the day.

 _"Oooooh! Big boy's got some stress!"_ Lincoln froze up when he heard Lilim say that in a sultry manner in his head.

"Please just let me sleep." Lincoln said out loud, tired and annoyed.

 _"Not 'til we get rid of that tent down south Lincy!"_ she said in an amorous tone. Lincoln tried to force his eyes shut, but she kept on being flirtatious with him. Worse still, she was turning him on. Having multiple Personas was going to take some getting used to.


	8. First Defeat

**A/N:** _Beat Persona 5. Futaba is best waifu, Sojiro is best husbando, Ryuji is best bro, and Morgana is adorable as hell._

 _Co-Written by_ **zumby101** _._

 _..._

 _Oh, and Mishima is still a little bitch, but he's my little bitch and his Social Link/Confidant is one of the more useful ones._

 **XxXxX**

 **Downtown Royal Woods**

Lynn's heart was racing a marathon as she punched the heavy punching bag. Beads of sweat were bouncing off her soaked training outfit with her MMA training gloves starting to show a bit of wear and tear. Biting hard on her mouth guard, she hummed the count of her punches.

 _"50...51...52..."_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an employee of the MAXIMUM fitness center approach, she didn't slow down.

"Hey Lynn, we're going to lock up soon. You mind finishing up your set there?" he asked.

"Wha-" she said through her mouth guard, stopping the bag to look over at the guy. "I ain't leavin' 'til I break my 'jabs-per-minute' record!" she exclaimed. The guy just looked at her oddly, trying to half-decipher just what she said through that muffled speech.

The employee sighed, he had dealt with Lynn long enough to know that she didn't want to leave. "Lynn, we've gone over this a hundred times or so by now. I know you're a regular, and somewhat a celebrity around town, but Jason gets pissed when I leave the doors unlocked when working hours should be over."

"I'm promoting his place! He should be happy that I stay as long as I do!"

"Lynn, I can't understand you with your mouth guard in!" complained the frustrated employee. Lynn gave him a pissed look and he recoiled a bit, but stood his ground and cleared his throat. "Look, I gotta go over the inventory for the protein shake mix and by ten I'm locking up. Please, just be out by then, alright?" he said, then walking off to the back room, leaving Lynn alone.

Lynn let out a low growl before facing the bag again and gripping her fists. She chomped down on the mouthguard and started socking the heavy bag with a continuous stream of jabs. With every punch, she could feel her rage burning fiercer.

 _"Fucking asshole! Made me lose my concentration!"_ she cursed inside her head. One big punch made her feel a twinge in her knuckle. Nothing she couldn't ignore, but she didn't want to be sloppy. _"Okay chill Lynn, it's not his fault."_ she admitted to herself, focusing back on the rhythm of her punches, _"But I'm still-"_

"AH!" Lynn yelped out as she felt a sharp, sudden pain in her left wrist. She stopped punching the bag and quickly caught her left hand with her right, she bit hard on her mouthguard as she removed the glove.

"Dang it..." she said out loud, fighting the pain, "...not again." she tried to slowly rotate her left hand.

 _"Ow, ow, ow...yep, still hasn't healed all the way..."_ she said to herself, now deciding to call it a night. Lynn spat out her mouthguard into her right hand, and put it in her duffel bag with her gloves. She then picked up the bag and headed for the showers.

 _"...but I'm still not strong enough..."_

 **XxXxX**

 **Elsewhere...**

 _ **"A world inside of the mirror...it's like that Louis Carol story."**_

 **"I still find the idea very far-fetched, even with that creature the freelancer captured."**

 _ **"Is it any more far-fetched than a world shaped by distorted cognition? Or a world inside of the TV? Or an extra hour right before 12 AM? Or rumors becoming reality? Or an entire world created from the ideals of an ill girl?"**_

 **"...point taken. Fine then, how should we go about this?"**

 _ **"First, we need to keep information about it from leaking out. God knows what the Kirijo Group or the Nanjo Conglomerate will do if they find out about this. The higher ups don't want them to get involved."**_

 **"Understood. Should the freelancer be silenced?"**

 _ **"No. I highly doubt that they'll talk to anyone about such a thing, leave them for now and focus on gearing up your team for an expedition. This could be the opportunity we've been waiting for..."**_

 **XxXxX**

 **Wednesday, April 6th, 2016**

 **Early Morning**

 _"...coln..."_

Lincoln stirred in his sleep.

 _"Lincoln..."_

He tried to ignore whoever was calling his name. For all he knew, Lilim was probably just messing with him again.

 _"Lincoln, wake up! Lynn is gone!"_

Lincoln's eyes shot open to see Lucy, "Huh? What?" he yelped.

Lucy put a finger to her lips, "Shh! Keep it down!" she motioned for him to get closer.

He sat up and got a bit closer, "What do you mean Lynn is gone?" he asked in a whisper.

"You know how Lynn is always home by two in the morning?" she asked.

Lincoln started rubbing his eyes, "Not really? I guess I never paid attention to that..."

"It's one of her superstitions." Lucy explained, "She told me once that she's always home and in bed by 2 A.M. because supposedly nothing good ever happens after 2 A.M."

Lincoln pulled out his phone, "What time is it-" the screen said 3:35, "...you got me up half past three because of one of Lynn's dumb superstitions?"

"I know it's dumb, but she's always done that! I can't remember a night when she _wasn't_ in her bed by then!"

Lincoln pinched the bridge of his nose to help wake up, "Maybe she's just staying at a friend's house? It wouldn't be the first time..."

Lucy took out her phone and started tapping the screen, "I thought about that, that's why I tried texting and calling her cell...you might want to hear this."

She held the phone out and Lincoln turned his ear towards it.

 _"We're sorry. The number you are trying to call is unavailable."_

"Lucy, that doesn't mean anything. She's probably out of the service area, there's a lot of places around town that don't have good signals."

Lucy tapped the screen again, "Yeah, but remember that chip Lisa put in our phones to help keep track of us? Check this out..."

She held the phone out again and Lincoln saw a map showing their house. Little icons with the names of them and their family showed up on it as well.

"Okay, so she's not in the house." Lincoln observed.

"Keep watching."

Lucy tapped the phone again and it zoomed out showing the town. Then zoomed out again showing the state of Michigan, Lori's icon popping up around Ann Arbor. Then zoomed out again showing the Midwest area with Leni's icon popping up in Ohio. Lynn's icon was nowhere to be found.

"...okay, yeah, this is starting to get freaky."

"Lincoln, Lynn and her phone appear to have dropped off the face of the earth. What do you suppose this means?"

Lincoln tapped his chin, "That she dropped her phone again and it broke this time? You know how careless she is when she's at the gym."

Lucy sighed, "That could be true, but that doesn't make me any less worried about her." she said before hesitantly perking up. "Lincoln, I know it's early, but you said we'd be going into the mirror world anyway and I don't think that it'd hurt to at least check-"

"Wait, hold up." Lincoln cut her short as he sat up straight. "Luce, that seems kind of extreme don't you think?"

"I know, I know." Lucy admitted, breaking eye contact for a moment. "I know it could just be paranoia talking right now, but... what if she fell in there?"

"Well...I mean..." Lincoln was a little loss for words.

"We can both agree that world is dangerous, right? And we don't know how many mirrors can be used to get in or out, right?"

"Yeah, but could Lynn get in there on her own?" Lincoln pointed out, "I'm not too sure how or why I was able to go into the bathroom mirror the first time, but I doubt she would be able to just fall in all on her own."

"That's even worse! What if someone or something forced her inside?" Lucy trailed off, she lowered her face in distress over this. "Please Lincoln, to just give me some peace...can we please just check the house on the other side?"

Lincoln, either because of how tired he was or his head telling him to do the smart thing, wanted to say no and that Lynn was fine. But everything else in him saw Lucy hurting and didn't like that. In the end, that part won out and he answered with a sigh.

"Alright, alright." Lincoln said seeing Lucy perk up a tiny bit.

"Thanks Lincoln."

"Go get ready, worrywart."

Lucy hustled out of the room and Lincoln put on the jeans he wore yesterday before following his sister out.

 **XxXxX**

The two made their way up to the attic where Lincoln opened up the floorboard to retrieve their weapons while Lucy unveiled the cloth covering the large antique mirror.

Lincoln handed over her spear, "Anything can happen in there, stick close alright?"

Lucy nodded as she grabbed the spear. She held it in her right hand and kept her phone in her left.

Lincoln pointed at her phone, "Why don't you leave that here Luce? You wouldn't want to lose it in there."

Lucy shook her head, "Nevermore is telling me that it might be useful. Don't worry Linc, we'll keep track of it."

Lincoln shrugged and picked up his sword, unwrapping the bed sheet around it, "Alright, are you ready?" he offered his hand.

Lucy pocketed her phone and grabbed on as they both stepped through the mirror.

On the other side, the mirrored attic looked just as run down as the last time they were there.

 _"Yuk! What a dump! I'm not hanging around for this!"_ Lincoln heard Lilim say.

Lincoln rubbed his head and groaned, "I'm never gonna get used to the multiple voices..."

Lucy had her phone out again, staring at the screen intently.

"...is that working?" Lincoln asked.

Lucy showed Lincoln the phone, "You should take a look at this."

On the screen, an odd map was on display. It looked like a map of their neighborhood, but it was a bit distorted with the roads being curved where they should be straight. There were buildings that were missing, along with a lot of the surrounding area just not existing on the map. But the most alarming thing was that there were three icons showing up on the map.

One read: **"Lincoln Loud"** and showed up in the Loud house.

Another read: **"Lucy Loud"** also in the Loud house

And the third read: **"Lynn Loud Jr."** which was on the edge of the map.

"What the...why is the phone working here?" Lincoln asked in disbelief.

Lucy brought the phone back and started tapping on it, "I don't know, but it's clearly showing that Lynn is in this world. We have to go after her!"

 _"She's right kid."_ agreed Br'er, _"I dunno how tough you think your older brother is, but without a Persona I doubt he'd last long."_

 _"Uh...Lynn's a girl."_ Lincoln replied.

 _"Really? Huh. Coulda fooled me with how buff she is."_

Lucy opened up the stairway leading out of the attic and looked down, "Coast is clear, what's the plan, Lincoln?"

Lincoln walked over and started heading down, "Let's get out of the house first. Then figure out where we need to go."

The two reached the upstairs hall and headed for the stairs. They were a few steps away when Lucy stopped in her tracks. "Lincoln, there's one now!"

A formless mass of shadow appeared from under the door to Lana's room. It approached the two and started taking the form of a snake. Lincoln readied his blade as he gripped the longsword in his hand.

 _"Okay kid, let's see what you've got!"_

"Hraaah! Lincoln yelled out as he swung his sword. The blade slashed at the snake's skin, causing a cut to appear and then repair itself.

"Huh?"

 _"That thing's got some thick skin!"_

"Let me try!" Lucy said as she gripped her spear and thrust the head at the shadow. The shadow-snake dodged the attack, and went for Lucy's arm with its mouth open and teeth exposed. Before it could bite down, Lincoln had grabbed Lucy's other arm and pulled her out of harm's way.

 _"It's quick too!"_

 _"Any idea on how to stop it?"_ Lincoln asked.

 _"Beats me, I stay away from snakes!"_

 _"Useless! Okay, next Persona!"_

Lincoln drew Lamia from his deck, _"You require my power?"_ she asked.

The shadow prepared to strike again.

"Persona!"

Lamia appeared, and a bright light shot out of her eyes, locking the snake in place.

"Lucy, attack it now!" Lincoln ordered.

Lucy nodded, "Persona!"

Nevermore appeared and pierced the snake with his beak, causing enough damage to reduce it back to nothingness. Lincoln took a deep breath and smiled, "Alright, we did it!" he cheered.

Lucy headed for the stairs, "Let's keep going before more show up."

Lincoln nodded and followed Lucy's direction as the two headed quickly down the stairs. The two slowed down to a stop at the bottom where they saw there was a much larger shadow than before standing guard at the front door. This shadow had taken the form of a knight carrying a large ax, its eyes were glowing red with the rest of its face obscured behind a helmet.

"GO BACK TO YOUR ROOMS." it bellowed, "NO EXIT IS PERMITTED!"

"It talked?" Lucy asked, confused with its order.

Lincoln gripped his card, "That doesn't matter, its blocking our way. Get 'em, Lamia!" he called out as Lamia appeared again, this time fire flew from her fingertips which fell onto the shadow. The knight didn't flinch as the fire hit it.

"GO BACK UPSTAIRS, NOW!" it shouted.

"Nevermore!" Lucy called out her Persona, who raised their wings and a blinding bright light came from its chest and shot at the shadow. The attack wasn't very effective, and the enemy raised its ax.

"THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING. GO BACK OR BE EXECUTED!"

Lincoln looked over at Lucy, "It's too strong! Let's head back and find another way out!"

Lucy looked up the stairway, then quickly back at Lincoln, "There's a lot more of them coming this way!"

Lincoln slapped his forehead, "Give me a break! What do we do now?"

 _"How about you just let me handle this?"_ asked the sultry Lilim.

 _"And just what are YOU going to do?"_ Lincoln asked back.

 _"Just trust me sweetie!"_

 _"Yeah right! I'd rather-"_

"Lincoln!" Lucy pushed him back before the ax came down. It hit the floor instead of him, just barely cutting off the fringe of Lincoln's hair. The boy realized he had little to no options at the moment.

"Fine then! Lilim!"

Lilim appeared in front of them and the shadow-knight and made her way to the shadow and struck a lewd pose with her left arm under her breasts and her right hand on her hip as she hovered in the air. "Hey there handsome! That's a nice weapon you got there!"

Lincoln and Lucy watched in bewilderment as the succubus put her hand on the ax blade and started stroking it.

 _"Are you MAD?"_ Lincoln asked.

 _"Relax honey, I only got eyes for you."_

 _"That's not the point!"_

"UH...TH-THANK YOU?" the knight asked, looking a bit nervous.

"Oh my, you must be incredibly strong to be able to carry such a big thing!"

The shadow sheepishly rubbed the back of its head and turned away a bit, "WELL...UH...I GUESS SO?"

Lilim leaned on him, "Aw...what's wrong? I don't bite..."

 _"Quick honey, get out while he's distracted!"_

"Oh!" Lincoln got the hint and went around the knight and opened the front door. Lucy followed right behind him, and shut the door.

The knight then realized they got past him, "HUH? WHERE'D THEY GO?"

Lilim got off him, "Don't worry handsome, I'll bring them back." she then started to fade away, "In the meantime, can you do me a favor and keep any of those nasties from going out as well? Thanks!" she then vanished, leaving the knight to deal with the other shadows that were coming down the stairs.

 **XxXxX**

Outside, Lincoln and Lucy caught their breath on the other side of the road. "I can't believe your Persona just did that..." Lucy gasped.

"I can't either! Just what was that?" Lincoln asked out loud.

 _"Manipulation honey."_ Lilim answered, _"Not many men can resist my charm."_

Lincoln sighed, _"I guess I should say thanks..."_ he said to himself.

 _"You can thank me later, when we're alone..."_ Lilim said in her sultry voice, making Lincoln annoyed and a tad uncomfortable.

A look back to the house and Lincoln and Lucy couldn't believe what they saw. This world's version of the Loud House looked even worse on the outside! The entire building was cracking at the foundation, with the most noticeable crack being as wide as Lincoln's palm right next to the front door that stretched all the way to the roof. Every window was cracked and yellowed with mud serving as a blotchy new coat of paint over the entirety of it. Then their lawn, just dead, dead grass everywhere with wilting flowers and gooey bits that Lincoln didn't even want to know belonged to what.

"How is this thing still standing?" Lincoln asked, giving Lucy a look.

"Mom and dad would flip if they saw the house like this." Lucy added.

Lincoln shook his head, "Nah, they'd still say this was fixable..." he was reminded of a time his father got out a roll of duct tape and slapped it on a huge crack in the wall. Just then, a the two noticed that the whole sky was a lit scarlet, bordering on a dark orange.

 _"What's with the sky here?"_ Lincoln asked Lilim.

 _"I dunno honey, I was just born yesterday."_ she joked. Lincoln rolled his eyes to the sky and noticed something else. A large black dot on the horizon that made the crimson look almost brown around it.

 _"Don't suppose you got any idea what that is either?"_

 _"Maybe a hole that needs to be filled."_ she said with a giggle.

 _"I'm starting to get sick of your oversexualized tone."_

 _"Lincoln, I'm a_ demon _that has_ sex _with men in their_ sleep _. I can't help it!"_

 _"...touché."_

"Lincoln." Lucy said with her phone out, "It says that Lynn is down this road."

Lincoln looked down the road. There were quite a bit of structures on either side of the street, each one looking somewhat rundown. The road itself was empty with no cars, no people, but there was a handful of shadows.

"...so, we're supposed to just walk all the way there?" Lincoln asked.

"It'd be easier if we had the van..." the two looked at the driveway of their house and noticed that there was indeed a Vanzilla in this world, but it was torn to pieces.

"I don't think that's an option Lucy, and I'm not so sure we should really walk-"

"Pardon me, Master Lincoln." said a voice from behind.

Lincoln got out of the way as Eli passed him and headed for the remnants of the van, "Huh? You?"

The blue butler pulled out tools from out of nowhere, "Don't mind me." he said as he started working on the wreck.

"Why are you-"

"It's no use." said another voice, Lincoln and Lucy turned around to see Elly, "My brother is a car fanatic."

Everyone was eerily quiet for a moment. A sense of awkwardness filled the air.

Lucy tried to break the awkwardness, "So...why are you two-"

"Our master felt that you required our assistance and sent us thus." Elly interrupted as she opened up her book, "Lincoln Loud...you have been performing at a subpar level...not that I have had high expectations of you anyway..."

Lincoln gritted his teeth, "What's that supposed to-"

Elly looked up and pointed at him, "Having little control over your Personas, nearly getting yourself killed in only your fourth battle - though that wouldn't be surprising - and worst of all, you didn't come see me when you formed your most recent social link."

Lucy turned to him, "You got a new one already?"

The blue maid nodded, "The Empress, represented by his sister Lori." Elly shut the book and offered her hand to Lincoln, "Shall we perform the summoning?"

Lincoln reached for her hand, and a card materialized between them. Lincoln grasped it, and flipped it over to see a voluptuous robed woman with fire in her hands. The number III was above her, and the name "Hestia" was below her.

 _"Greetings my child, I am Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth and protector of families. As such, I shall protect you, and the ones you love with my flame."_

A sudden wave of energy flowed through the boy, "Wow...thanks Elly!"

The maid quickly looked away, burying her face into the book cover, "N-no need to thank me. I'm only doing what is expected of me..."

"...I didn't think you could embarrass her." Lucy deadpanned.

"Master Lincoln! Miss Lucy!"

The two turned towards Eli and couldn't believe their eyes. Vanzilla - or at least the parts of Vanzilla - was gone, and in its place was a blue coated muscle car. They quickly went up to the car for inspection.

"Is this for us?" Lucy asked.

Eli nodded, "To ensure quick, and safe passage in the **Inverted World** , Miss Lucy. My gift to you."

"...Inverted World?" she questioned.

The butler covered his face, "My apologies, that's what our Master called this world. You may call it whatever you wish..."

"So...where's the keys?" Lincoln asked.

"Check your pockets."

"But I..." Lincoln felt something in the front pocket of his jeans, and pulled out a keyring with a blue key and a small gold tag with the letter "V" engraved on it.

"If you are ever lost in this world, press down on the tag and the car will find you." Eli explained. He started to walk towards a blue door that appeared across the road from the Inverted Loud House, "It's all up to you now. Good luck Master Lincoln, Miss Lucy." he said as he went through.

"I should go as well." Elly gave a little bow, "I hope your new Persona will help improve your performance." she said, disappearing as quick as her brother, leaving Lincoln and Lucy with their new ride.

"Just when you think it doesn't get weirder." Lincoln said, with Lucy half shrugging to him. Lincoln ran his hand over the hood of the car, seeing the paint gleam in the off color light. He opened the front door and sat in the driver's seat while Lucy hopped into the front passenger's seat. "No spring seat." Lincoln observed.

"No bad smells either." Lucy noted. Lincoln couldn't help but agree, for once he wasn't in a vehicle that reeked of fast food, smelly feet, or other foul stenches. Lincoln held the key in hand for a moment before sticking it in the ignition, even though Eli had just put this together, there still was the question if this thing would really work. When he turned the key, the engine roared to life and started to cause vibrations in their seats. He couldn't help but shortly grin, if anything this was worth waking up at 3 AM.

"Buckle up!" he reminded.

"Right!"

Lincoln barely stepped on the gas and that was enough to get them zooming off the driveway. Him and Lucy felt themselves push back into their seats, making it difficult to steer the thing. In moments, they were already out of the neighborhood and heading for the city.

"Slow down!" Lucy yelled while gripping her seat.

"I can't! My foot's not even on the gas!" he yelled back, they were going way too fast for comfort.

Looking down at her phone, Lucy saw that Lynn was dead ahead and they were getting closer by the second. In the distance they could already see a large building they could recognize as the gym she used. "Break! Break!" Lucy demanded.

Lincoln felt his foot shake as it hovered over the break, briefly wondering if breaking now would be bad at this speed. Then he stepped on the break and the car stopped. No whiplash. No flying out of their seats. They just stopped as if they casually rolled up onto the curb. They both shook, getting their bearings back as they unbuckled their seat belts and opened up their doors.

"...we're walking from now on." Lincoln said as he got out.

Lucy didn't even say anything to that, she just hopped out of the car and almost fell on her shaky legs.

The mirror world's gym seemed to be in disrepair, but not as badly as their house. The corners of the building were a bit cracked and the parking lot had trash scattered about as well as the lamppost lights being broken. The gym itself was bright with lights bursting out of it with the hum of beat coming from inside. Something that made Lucy gag was the smell, gym socks mixed with iron and the slightest hint of chocolate.

"Lynn must be here...huh?" Lucy looked up to see posters placed all over the outside of the fitness center. They were all posters of Lynn, each in a different sport outfit with bold text saying **"LYNN LOUD JR."** Lucy rolled her eyes, "...scratch that. Lynn is _definitely_ in there."

Gripping his sword, Lincoln gestured for Lucy to follow, "C'mon Luce. The sooner we find Lynn, the sooner we get her out."

Lucy nodded, and carried her spear as they walked up to the glass doors and entered the fitness center. After a few steps inside, Lincoln and Lucy stopped dead in their tracks. Lynn was just ahead of them in front of what looked like a reception desk.

"...Lynn?" Lincoln asked. Lynn seemed to have heard him, but didn't turn around.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Lincoln and Lucy shared a confused look, "Me? What are-"

 _"That is not your sister."_ Hestia pointed out.

"Huh?" Lincoln asked before he took a second look at her. There was an odd air apparent to her, and she actually looked clean. But what really stuck out about her was that this "Lynn" was taller than him. Much taller, and much bigger with more muscle than she usually had. She turned around and stepped towards him, towering over him by at least a foot. She looked down at him and Lucy with a malicious grin.

"Hey little bro, hey creepshow, how's the weather down there?" she asked unnerved. Lincoln and Lucy both took a quick step back, and pointed their weapons at her.

"Where's Lynn?" Lucy demanded.

The reflection simply smacked the weapons out of their hands. "I'm right here! You blind?" she laughed, "Nah, I'm just fuckin' with ya spooky. You meant the weakling? Let me think...oh yeah! I left her in the weight room."

"The what?" Lincoln asked.

Suddenly, Lynn's reflection socked Lincoln in the gut. The impact on his stomach knocked the wind out of him, and he fell to his knees. The reflection grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up to her face.

"Didn't you hear me, you fucking twig?" she yelled, her grin getting wilder, "The weak me is in the weight room, thinking she can get as strong as me!" the reflection hurled Lincoln to the side, sending him headfirst into a wall a few feet away from them.

"Lincoln!" Lucy yelled, rushing to where her brother landed.

Lynn's reflection cracked her knuckles, "Heh...with all her resentment towards ya, I thought you'd be tougher!"

Lucy got on her knees, pulling Lincoln up. He was groaning in pain, "Lincoln, you okay?"

Lincoln was slowly trying to catch his breath, barely conscious at this point, "Luce...run..." he weakly said between breaths.

Lynn's reflection headed for them, her cocky grin became more twisted as she approached, "You pipsqueaks should know better! In this world, only the strong survive!"

Lucy gave her an angry look as she stood up and yelled.

"Persona!"

Nevermore then appeared and stretched out his wings before wrapping them around Lucy and Lincoln. With a brisk breeze, he folded into them and vanished into darkness. Lynn's reflection frowned at their sudden disappearance, and took out her anger by punching a hole into the wall. "Fucking cowards!" she yelled, shaking her head as she turned away, "Whatever, I got bigger fish to fry..."

 **XxXxX**

The next thing Lucy knew, she and Lincoln were back in the mirror world's attic. As soon as she came to Lucy checked her brother's pulse in a rush.

 _"Please be okay, please be okay, please-"_

 _"He is unconscious my lady, but alive."_ spoke a deep, sophisticated voice inside Lucy's head. _"Thanks to his Persona, any damage to him was rendered non-lethal."_

Lucy gave a sigh of relief to her Persona, _"Thank you for saving us...though I'm not sure what you just did."_

 _"Treatso, it is a skill that can take us back to a safe area."_ he explained, _"We are, however, still in danger. We must not linger in this world any longer."_

 _"Right."_ Lucy pulled Lincoln's arm over her shoulder, and helped him up. _"Heavy...big...warm..."_ she said to herself.

" _I would not have guessed that he would get knocked down so easily."_ Nevermore noted. Lucy began to drag Lincoln to the mirror, trying her best to keep as much of him off the ground as she could.

 _"It's my fault, I should've let him rest..."_

" _My lady, there is no blame on your shoulders. Your worry for Lynn has been proven to be justified and with that we now know what we are dealing with."_ he said. Lucy would admit that he had a point, but Lincoln was still harmed during the expedition she insisted they do.

 _"I just hope he wasn't hurt too bad."_

 _"A strong gentleman like him should be back on his feet in no time, especially for you my lady."_ he said, with Lucy just breaking the tiniest of smiles to that comment.

As they stepped through the mirror, Lucy cursed to herself when Lincoln's knees hit the bottom of it. Once she pulled him through to the other side, she let out a sigh of both relief and exhaustion.

" _We made it back..."_ she thought as she carefully put Lincoln down onto the floor. She then recalled something, _"...we forgot our weapons."_

" _My apologies, there was no time to secure them. Your safety was of utmost priority."_

" _That's okay, we'll get them back...what a night."_

 _"A particularly long night tonight my lady."_ Nevermore agreed.

 _"A night I'd rather forget."_ Lucy admitted.

 _"If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered."_ Nevermore stated, Lucy letting out a half chuckle at how cheeky he was. She looked over at Lincoln who seemed to have made the attic floor his bed.

 _"I suppose it wouldn't be a good idea to drag him downstairs?"_ She asked.

 _"Not a wise idea, no."_ he said.

Lucy keeled down next to her brother, who was looking more asleep than out cold. She patted his head, "Guess it's another night together." she said, not in any way complaining. She quietly headed down the stairs to get some pillows and blankets, unaware of one of the many hidden cameras inside of the house that was recording her every move.

 **XxXxX**

Beneath the Loud House, a young scientist was watching three screens that were projecting three videos on loop. One video had Lincoln and Lucy being pulled into the bathroom mirror. One had the stairs to the attic suddenly drop down with those two climbing into the hallway. One showed the two standing in the living room, then suddenly turning around with weapons in hand.

The stone-faced Lisa Loud watched and re-watched in silence.


	9. Rest and Recovery

**Daytime**

Morning came stirring Lincoln awake with his body shaking. A stab in his chest made him choke on his first breath and spit it out with a groan. He slowly moved his arms to pull himself up as his eyes adjusted to the light. He was in his attic, clueless as to how he got there.

 _"...we're back?"_ he thought, sneering when he felt that sharp pain from his chest again.

 _"Banged up, but yeah."_ answered Br'er.

 _"When did we get back? HOW did we get back? All I can remember is that..."_ Lincoln asked before it came back to him, the image of the hulked out form of his older sister socking him good to the chest.

 _"That behemoth? You can thank little miss darkness and her bird for flying us out of that coop."_

 _"Lucy!"_ Lincoln jumped, taking another look around. Relaxing when he saw across from him was Lucy sleeping with her arms folded on top of her chest, her usual sleeping position. _"Oh thank god._ " Lincoln thought relieved.

 _"I don't think that's the person you want to thank for her."_ Br'er joked, Lincoln ignored him and tried to get up. Trying to stand was difficult, his legs just wouldn't stop shaking and somehow it was making the pain in his chest worse. When he got halfway off the ground he felt his legs buckle, making him hit the floor flat on his chest, letting out a yelp that woke Lucy.

"Lincoln?" asked a tired and worried Lucy.

"Hey Luce." he answered in pain. Lucy looked over to him and let out a short gasp as she pulled herself to him.

"Did you fall down?"

"I tried to stand, but it hurts too much." Lincoln admitted.

"Don't push yourself, I got this." She said, getting on her knees and waddling over to him to help him up. "On three, okay?" she asked with Lincoln looking a little hesitant but nodding. When Lucy lifted on three, she almost fell over herself with Lincoln unintentionally leaning on her too much. Lincoln grunted, seeing his legs wobble from the stress as Lucy tried to have him take tiny steps with her. "Let's try to get to your room." She said, struggling to hold his weight.

 _"I bet you don't make it down the third step"_ Br'er said.

 _"Shut up!"_ Lincoln barked back.

 _"Can I get on this action?"_ Lilim asked excited. If he wasn't concentrating so much on not falling over again, Lincoln would try to shut them out.

With Lucy's help, Lincoln managed to limp down the attic stairs, and made it to the hallway. Thankfully there was nobody else-

"Hey guys!" yelled Lana from behind, "Where've you been all mornin'? " she asked as she approached.

Without thinking, Lincoln turned towards her, "Hey Lan-ah!" he said as he nearly fell over, but Lucy caught him.

"Whoa, you alright?" Lana asked as she got closer.

"He's fine, he just slept on the wrong side of the attic." answered Lucy.

"Oh, okay." Lana nodded and turned to leave but stopped on a dime, "Wait, why were you sleeping in the attic together?"

" _Yeah honey, why_ were _you two sleeping together?"_ giggled Lilim.

" _You shut your mouth."_ Lincoln sneered before clearing his throat, he needed to think up a lie quick, "Well, I was um..." Lincoln saw that his bedroom door was ajar, and it hit him, "... I was thinking of moving up into the attic because my room is too small."

"Really?" Lana asked, with some excited suspicion.

"Yeah, and I was helping him find the best spot to rest at since I go up there so much." Lucy added.

In that moment, Lana's eyes lit up, "That's so cool! Why didn't you guys say anything to me? I've been wanting to do something with the attic for a long time!"

Lincoln was a bit amazed, "Wait, really?"

" _I can't believe that worked."_ Br'er deadpanned.

Lana could hardly hold her excitement, she was hopping up and down it was so bad. "Yeah! Yeah! Hold on, I'll go take some measurements right now!" Lana rushed to her room, then she ran up the attic stairs with a bunch of tools in her hands. Panic soon took over Lincoln's mind as he tried to go after her.

"Wait, Lana! I changed my-"

"Lincoln." Lucy said, stopping him. "Don't, you're still hurt."

"But what about the mirror? Lana could-" he tried to plead but felt Lucy give him a push towards his room.

"I'm well aware of what could happen." She said walking Lincoln down the hall, pushing his door open more and making him sit on his bed. "I'll go make sure she's safe but in the meantime, you need to rest up."

"But Lucy-" Lincoln tried to plead once more. Lucy just giving him a pat on the head.

"You rest up, and I'll see you soon." she said before she exited, leaving Lincoln speechless. He felt like he should just bite his tongue and force himself back up there, but the little trip downstairs was hard enough. Instead, he laid back on his mattress.

" _Dang it I'm beat...it's not just my legs. It's my everything. What the heck even happened to me?"_ he asked internally.

Lilim's laugh unfortunately announced her pressence, _"Isn't it obvious baby cakes? You were out cold and defenseless and if I were that girl I would've..."_

" _Knock it off."_ scolded Hestia, _"Don't scare the poor child with your lewd ideas."_

" _Besides that..."_ Lamia spoke up, _"...we all know that_ you're _the one who sapped all of his energy."_ she scoffed, _"You just HAD to use up so much of his Spirit Power just to throw yourself all over that shadow..."_

" _Hey, c'mon, if she didn't do THAT, then the kid could be dead by now!"_ argued Br'er.

" _Aww, thanks sweetiebuns! I could kiss you for-"_

" _Okay, enough!"_ Lincoln ordered before forcing them back into his subconcious, letting out a groan as he let his head fall onto his pillow. With a sigh he covered his eyes, wishing for just one thing: _"Can't I just get a break?"_

"Greetings older brother." Lincoln grudgingly uncovered his eyes to see Lisa at his bedside showing that it was too much to ask for just a little break. "May I speak with you about something?"

"Ugh...not right now Lisa. I'm kinda in pain right now." Lincoln told her, hoping that would shoo her away. Again, unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

"Pain? Hold on a moment..." Lisa said before stepping out for a moment.

"Wait, Lisa!" Lincoln tried to call for her but she was already in her room and all Lincoln could do was hit himself over the head. Flashes of only some of the more painful memories of Lisa's attempts at 'helping' soothe his pain came to him. He could only pray that she wasn't going to bring out the defibrillator again. "Lucy!" Lincoln desperately plead before Lisa came back, holding a small red pill in her hand.

"Ingest this." she instructed him, dropping it in his hand.

Lincoln, naturally, looked it over suspiciously, "Lisa, what is this?"

"Something I've been working on to relieve all pain, stress, and exhaustion. It is also cherry flavored."

"Uh...have you tested it already?" he meekly asked. Lisa rolled her eyes in response.

"Yes. The mice had a 99.9% success rate. Are you going to drop this in your mouth or am I going to need to put it in water?"

Lincoln groaned, she was going to get him to take it one way or another, "You know what? Sure, let's get this over with." he said, figuring the worse that could happen would be that he would start glowing and that was a easy problem to fix for Lisa. Lisa watched as Lincoln popped the pill in his mouth, she took out a tablet and stylus as he swallowed.

"Any changes?"

"Well." Lincoln said smacking his lips. "It was cherry fla-" suddenly, Lincoln felt his feet go numb with the feeling slowly creeping up his legs as well, "Lisa! I can't feel my legs!"

She nodded, "That would be the numbing agent. Acting as expected, the effects will soon wear off."

"Are you cra-" then muscles in Lincoln's jaw went numb as well as everything else. Lincoln laid there like a dead fish while his sister just jotted down notes.

"Numbing agent effectiveness working well in larger mammal. Cherry flavoring also received lip smack salivating reaction, thoughts on reduction to ensure minimized risk of children mistaking it as confectioneries..." Lincoln for a moment felt nothing, nothing at all. He tried to scowl at Lisa but knew whatever he was expressing didn't look anything like that. Lisa kept an eye on her watch, raising her hand for the countdown "Nerves resetting in three...two..."

Lincoln then felt the numbness slowly going away. Little by little, feeling came back to his body. Gasping for air the moment he could, he shot up from his bed. Catching up on his breathing as Lisa finished her study.

"Violent reaction to agent numbing off, possible variables to be explored in this incident."

"Are you crazy?" Lincoln yelled at his sister not even being phased by it. "What if that killed me?"

"How do you feel, Lincoln?" Lisa flatly asked.

"How do I feel? I-" Lincoln was about to blow up but then he realized that all the pain he felt earlier had vanished. Not only that, all of the stress and exhaustion he built up over the past few days had dissipated as well. This was an odd sensation to him, he was feeling better than he had in weeks! "What...wait...I feel...I feel amazing! What was that thing?"

Lisa jotted down the last of her notes, "It will soon be the latest in my pharmaceutical line. I thank you for trying the prototype, all of my students were too scared to try it after they saw what happened to the mice."

"Wait, what happened to the-"

"That's irrelevant." Lisa quickly interrupted. "Are you able to converse with me now?"

"Um, sure." He said sliding off his bed. "What's up?"

"Actually." She said putting her tablet away. "I was hoping to talk in a more...secure location."

"Why's that?" he asked.

Lisa didn't look amused, "It's of a very private matter."

 _"Oh my god don't tell me she's in love with you too…"_ Br'er said.

 _"Dude!"_ Lincoln yelled in his head. He just got this relief, he needed it to last!

"If you please, follow me." Lisa instructed as she turned and headed out of the room. Lincoln followed her down the stairs and through the living room where Lola and Lily were spending their time. Lola hogging the TV to watch Lincoln's recording of her rehearsal and Lily sitting on the couch behind her drawing on a sketch pad.

While Lola was hooked to the screen, mimicking her moves to perfect them, Lily noticed her siblings coming down the stairs. "Guys!" she greeted happily. Lincoln stopped but Lisa kept moving to the kitchen. "Wanna play? Lola's being…" Lily looked over at the pageant queen and narrowed her eyes, "...Lola."

"Sure, just-" Lincoln started.

"Lincoln." Lisa abruptly interrupted him, "Apologies youngest sibling, but we're busy." Lisa bluntly told her younger sister.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"That's on a need-to-know basis. Now Lincoln, follow me." Lisa again abruptly said before entering the backyard. Lincoln sighed, Lisa was really being rude.

"I'll be right back Lily." He said giving her a quick pat on the head before hurrying off to the backyard, leaving Lily a little bit disappointed.

Lincoln stepped out to his backyard, seeing Charles laying down on the back porch being the ever-lovable guard dog as Lisa waited by the entrance to her fallout shelter.

"Will you hurry?" she asked.

"You know, it's kind of rude to say things like that." Lincoln complained as he walked over to her.

"In the world of science we hold results above anything else, even manners. I needed you out here now." She said opening her shelter with a loud clang from the entrance. "Will you _please_ enter?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Lincoln started going down the ladder to her bunker, ignoring the fleeting thought of her locking the hatch to trap him down here for another experiment. Lisa followed suit, dropping down the ladder much quicker than her brother. The interior of the bunker was large and eerily empty. Lincoln figured they could probably fit their whole basement in here along with their living room, even with Lisa's computer and lab equipment set up along the walls.

"Be mindful of your surroundings, some of my equipment can be very sensitive." Lisa explained as she got off the ladder while Lincoln started rubbing his arms.

"It's cold in here!" he complained.

"It's sterile." Lisa said as she walked to her computer, taking a seat in the roller chair positioned in front of it before booting up the screen.

Lincoln, a bit puzzled, began to approach her, "You know, when you said private matter-"

Lisa turned towards him, locking her gaze straight onto his, "Lincoln, to clarify, this conversation will only be between the two of us."

"Uh...okay, but what did you need to talk to me about?"

She turned back to the screen and started navigating through her files as she spoke, "I'll get to the point." she said, bringing up an image on her computer. Lincoln jumped in his shoes, the image was of their bathroom and it featured Lincoln with his hand inside the mirror with Lucy at his side. "How are you able to enter the mirror?" Lisa asked.

Lincoln was frozen for a moment, looking from the image to his sister once before he answered, "Uh...what?"

Lisa turned back to her brother, setting her hands down in her lap, "There's no sense in denying it Lincoln. I have it all recorded."

She clicked on the image and the computer played a recording of Lincoln and Lucy being pulled into the bathroom mirror. Lincoln was at a loss for words, he had completely forgotten that Lisa installed hidden cameras all over the house, even after she promised their parents that she wouldn't.

"I uh...I dunno what to say." Lincoln admitted.

Lisa folded her hands in, "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

 **XxXxX**

Up in the attic, Lana had gotten her measuring tape all over the place with Lucy standing guard before the mirror, already covered with a dark cloth. Her tools were scattered around, and a bit of the wall had already been refurbished. Lana pushed the button on her tape measure to retract it all back.

"Yup, I'd say there's some real potential up here Lucy!" Lana said, full of excitement, "I'm actually surprised you haven't moved up here yourself! Didn't you always say that this was your secret place or something?"

Lucy shrugged, "It kinda stopped being a secret of mine when everyone found out about it, and then used it as a storage space."

Lana shook her head, "Aw c'mon, are you _still_ angry about that? We did get rid of that stuff and let you have it again!"

"I'm not angry, I'm just stating the facts."

The handyman rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I just don't get why you're alright with Lincoln moving up here."

" _Because I don't mind sharing my dark place with him."_ she thought to herself.

" _My lady, be mindful with what you may think."_ warned Nevermore, _"Remember last night that you-"_

Lucy sighed, " _I know...I couldn't help it..."_

" _...please, don't force it on him. You don't want him to-"_

"'Scuse me." Lana had pulled off the cloth for the mirror while Lucy was lost in her thoughts.

"Lana, wait!"

Lana started rubbing the surface of the mirror, "Hmm...think mom and dad would mind if I scrapped this for materials?" she asked.

Lucy was a bit dumbstruck with her sister not falling in, "Uh...I dunno, but Lincoln kind of wanted it for his room."

Lana snickered, "Why? So he can admire himself for hours like Lola?"

"...yeah."

" _It appears as though your younger sister is safe from the mirror's pull, milady."_ observed Nevermore.

" _That's good to know...though it doesn't answer why we can go in there."_

 **XxXxX**

"...and that's when I woke up in the attic this morning." Lincoln said, finishing up his story.

Lisa rubbed her chin in interest, writing down the last details on her tablet. Lincoln found it odd that she didn't ask many questions when he told the story about the mirror, the personas, the shadows, and the Velvet Room. There wasn't even any scoffing or crazy looks, she just listened. He had, of course, left out the parts about his and Lucy's reflections and the secrets they've kept. Those parts were a bit too uncomfortable to talk about.

"Fascinating..." she mused, setting her tablet down on her arm rest. "I assume that you and Lucy now plan to head back into that world for another rescue attempt?" she guessed.

"Of course!" Lincoln confirmed, "We can't leave Lynn in there!"

Lisa nodded, "I agree, even if she isn't in immediate danger, it wouldn't be good to leave her in there. From my perspective, it appears you'll need all the assistance you can get. So, I will-"

"No way Lisa!" Lincoln quickly objected, "Lucy and Lynn are enough to worry about, I won't have any more of my sisters going into that dangerous place! _Especially_ my baby sisters!"

The child genius gave a little smile, "Thank you for your concern, but I have no intention of going into that world myself."

"Huh?"

Lisa then got up on top of her seat to meet Lincoln at eye-level, "As I'm sure you're well-aware, I myself do not possess a combat-oriented form." she said, gesturing to herself.

She was right as always, Lisa was a bit rounder compared to every other Loud kid. Years of not going outside as much and constantly snacking on sweets attributed to that.

"Instead," she said, hopping off the chair with her tablet and walking towards the center of the room, "I insist on providing support in...another way."

"...in what other way?" Lincoln asked.

Lisa stopped in the middle of the room and started tapping her tablet a few times. Suddenly, Lincoln felt something under his feet and quickly moved forward with a yelp. He turned back to see that a section of the floor had started to rise up.

Lisa shook her head at her brother's clumsiness, "That pill for example, wouldn't you like to have more of those in case something happens to you or Lucy in your endeavor?"

"That would really help out in a jam..." Lincoln was a bit mesmerized by the sight of two glass cubes rising up from underneath the floor. One with some kind of small green disc and the other having what looked like a white VR helmet with a cable cord connecting it to a matching colored glove that had some sort of cell phone built into it. Lisa walked up to be in between the cubes and turned back towards Lincoln.

"Along with more of those, I present to you some prototypes I've been working on." Lisa gestured towards the disc, "This is what I'm calling the Personal Anti-damage Discus. PAD for short. It's function is to emit an electromagnetic field around a small radius to protect its user against many forms of hazards."

Lincoln took a moment to translate her vocabulary, "So...it'll keep me safe from getting hurt?"

Lisa shrugged, "More or less." Lisa then gestured to the helmet and glove, "This here is my experimental Communication Operating Monitor Processor. COMP for short. It features both a helmet that will send me back video feed wherever you go, as well as enhance your vision to an extent, and a glove with a built-in communicator that can be used to communicate back to me as well as other COMP-users. The COMP also does a subtle scan of your brain waves and heartbeat to monitor your state of health."

Lincoln was dumbstruck with the very high-tech gear, "...and you're just giving these to me?"

Lisa nodded, and adjusted her glasses, "They require field data...which reminds me. There's one thing to keep in mind when you use these Lincoln, these prototypes are still in development and I can't guarantee their effectiveness when put into practice. If they ever start to malfunction in any way, then it'd be best to stop using them immediately and have me look at them."

Lincoln nodded, "Gotcha, we wouldn't want them to break."

Lisa smiled a little, "I'm more concerned about your safety, doofus."

"Thanks Lisa."

The world then calmly stopped, and a voice spoke in Lincoln's head.

" _Thou art I...And I am thou..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It brings thee closer to your full potential, and strengthens your resolve..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed with Personas of the Justice Arcana..."_

" _...oh great, does this mean I'll have ANOTHER one of you in my head?"_ Lincoln asked in his head.

" _Looks like it, I'll set up the guest room."_ mocked Br'er.

"Are you planning on going into that world today?" Lisa asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Well, I want to get Lynn out ASAP." he told her.

Lisa nodded, "I understand how you feel, but please refrain from entering until this evening at least. There are still a few things I need to troubleshoot with the PADs and COMPs before I hand them over to you and Lucy."

Lincoln headed back for the ladder, "Alright, I'd better let Lucy know about this too. See you tonight, Lis."

Lisa watched him climb up, leaving her with her computer. After Lincoln exited, Lisa went back to her computer and opened up a hidden file with an image of Lucy putting a blanket over a sleeping Lincoln in the attic.

Clicking on the image played a recording of Lucy tucking the unconscious Lincoln in. Then, after tapping him a few times, leaned in close, covering his face. Her long dark hair obscuring the camera's sight.

" _...he doesn't need to know."_

 **XxXxX**

Just as Lincoln walked back inside, he found himself ambushed from above, "LINKY!" Lily cheered as she jumped at her brother. Lincoln quickly caught her on reflex, and the small bundle of energy began nuzzling herself against her favorite big brother, "So, can we play now?" she asked in earnest, "Pleaaaaase?"

"Like you need to ask." Lincoln answered, setting her down and hearing her giggle.

"Yay!" she cheered before taking him by the hand, "This way!" Lily pulled Lincoln back through the living room where Lola was still admiring herself in front of the TV. The two stepped around her and headed upstairs to Lily and Lisa's room. What Lincoln always found amusing about the room was how clearly divided their spaces were. On the left side was a bunch of equipment scattered around that Lisa had built along with her chalkboard filled with hard equations with some even going onto the wall. On the right was what can only be described as an explosion of color, mostly in the finger paint and hand prints that were splattered all over the wall. Somehow, the two sides complimented each other.

Lily let go of Lincoln and bounced onto her bed, picking up the lavender colored handheld that was laying on it. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" she plead impatiently.

"Hold on silly, let me get mine first." Lincoln said as Lily paddled her legs in the air waiting for him. Lincoln quickly stepped into his room, grabbed the orange colored handheld from his desk, then jumped back to Lily's room where he took a seat on the floor as per usual. "Which game today, Lily?" he asked as he started up his console.

"RedRage! RedRage!" she yelped happily. Lincoln could've guessed that in his sleep, with a sly grin Lincoln started up the game.

"Game on then Lily."

Flashing red, the fighting game booted up on both their screens and the game began with round one. Lincoln and Lily picked their favorite characters and began their battle. The two have been playing together on occasion, usually whenever Clyde or Ronnie Anne weren't available. Lily made for a good gaming buddy as she picked up on controls and special moves fast, it was no surprise that in a flash of gold both their screens said:

" **PLAYER – LILY – WINS!"**

Lily bounced in joy with a squee, "Okay! New characters!" she said. The second round started shortly, and ended not so long after.

" **PLAYER – LILY – WINS!"** the screen displayed again.

Lily was just as happy and Lincoln couldn't help but drift a little. Seeing the characters fight on screen was making him think. Back to the gym, back to Lynn's reflection. He didn't even notice the third round starting with Lily pounding his still character to the corner of the screen.

A flash of pain went off in his head. Her reflection was strong, much stronger than Lucy's. How could he compete against it?

" **PLAYER – LILY – WINS!"**

"Hey!" Lily yelled, bringing Lincoln back. "You're not going easy on me are you?" she asked with a bit of a glare.

"Uh, no!" Lincoln said shaking his head. "I just haven't played in a while, you know? I've been busy with school."

"School's not hard." Lily protested.

Lincoln rolled his eyes, "I don't get nap times Lily."

"Still not hard Lincoln." Lily whined.

"Well, it's not just school either." Lincoln admitted, "There's a lot of things on my mind."

"Like Ronnie Anne?" she asked unexpectedly, throwing Lincoln through a loop.

"Uh, well...I mean..."

Lily set her handheld down, "Why did she stop being your friend anyway?" she asked suddenly.

"Uh...it's complicated Lily, I dunno why myself."

"Was it because she's mean and nasty?"

Lincoln sighed, "No Lily, and she's not...she isn't always like that."

"She was every time she came over." Lily pointed out. It was true, every time Ronnie Anne did come over to their house over the past year, she was always in a bad mood.

"Yeah, but can you blame her? She and her mom just moved back here a year ago and well...it's been hard for her to adjust when everyone at school only knows her as 'the bully that moved away' she uh...hasn't really made many friends there."

"She shouldn't be mean to you though."

Lincoln got up and took a seat next to Lily on her bed, "I know she shouldn't, and I'm not making excuses for her, I'm just trying to understand why she'd be like that to me."

Lily frowned, "Well, I don't get it, and I don't get why you spent so much time with her when she never acted any lovey-dovey with you."

"Uh...lovey-dovey?"

"That's how you're supposed to be with someone you like, right?"

Lincoln scratched the back of his head, "Eh...not always. Sure, sometimes that happens like with mom and dad and Lori and Bobby, but me and Ronnie Anne never really liked doing that kinda thing too much."

"Why not?"

Lincoln sighed and pat her head, "Look, things don't always go the way you think it will. Sometimes there's a huge difference between what you expect and what you'll get, and well, I didn't know what to expect. When she...when she broke up with me, that wasn't just her being mean and nasty."

"Then...what was it?"

"I dunno."

"Oh...Lincoln?"

"Yeah Lily?"

She gave him a hug, "I won't ever be mean to you."

He hugged her back, "I know."

" _Thou art I...And I am thou..._

 _Thou hast established a new bond..._

 _It brings thee closer to your full potential, and strengthens your resolve..._

 _Thou shalt be blessed with Personas of the Priestess Arcana..."_

Lincoln let go of his youngest sibling, and picked up her handheld, "Round four?"

She lets go and looked up with a beaming smile, "Yeah!"

 **XxXxX**

Time passed quickly in the Loud house, and soon enough Mr. and Mrs. Loud were home and it was time for dinner. After everyone gathered around the table and got their food, Lana spoke up. "Oh yeah! Dad, guess what? Me and Linc are gonna turn the attic into his new bedroom!"

"You are?" the parents asked while turning to their son.

Lincoln sweated a bit under the spotlight, "Uh...if that's okay with you guys."

Lynn Sr. and Rita smiled at each other, "Well, you are a growing boy, and that closet certainly isn't getting any bigger." answered his dad.

"But you'll have to find somewhere to move what's left up there." noted his mom.

"We can just put them in my old room." Lincoln answered. There really wasn't much left up in the attic since Lori took a lot of furniture and anything she found useful to her and Bobby's apartment. Plus, almost everything that wasn't a complete hunk of junk was sold at their most recent garage sale.

Rita smiled at him, "If it works for you, hon, it works for us."

"Are you gonna need any help?" asked his dad.

Lana answered for him, "Nah, we got it!"

Luna congratulated him, "Alright dude! Congrats on the new digs!"

Luan giggled a bit, "Looks like Lincoln is moving on up!" only her and dad laughed at that.

"Yuk, why would you want to live in a musty old attic?" Lola asked.

"It'd be better than living in a musty old closet." Lincoln answered.

"Fair enough. But don't cry to me when you get sick up there."

Dinner continued for a bit until Rita asked a question, "Has anyone heard from Lynn? I haven't been able to get a hold of her."

"Lucy, have you heard from your sister?" asked their dad.

Lucy was quiet, as always, "I...uh..."

"Lynn is currently camping with her associates up north for spring break." Lisa answered, "She called while you two were out and I answered. She isn't sure when they'll be back and cell reception is nearly non-existent where they're at." Lisa then took out her phone and showed them the tracking app. Lynn's image appeared on the southern side of Michigan's upper peninsula.

Their dad looked over the map on the phone, "Huh...okay then. I wish she could've told us before taking off."

"She said it was a last minute thing and didn't have the time to explain.

"Aw man, I wanna go camping too!" complained Lana.

"Maybe over the summer hon." assured their mother.

Lucy nudged Lincoln a bit, "...why and how did Lisa do that?" she whispered.

"I'll tell you later." he whispered back.

 **Evening**

There were no more interruptions at dinner, and once again Luna and Luan were out the door. Mr. and Mrs. Loud started cleaning up the table while Lily, Lola, and Lana went to the living room to watch cartoons and Lisa headed back to her lab. Lincoln and Lucy headed up to the attic, with Lincoln explaining all that had transpired with him and Lisa.

"...I'm not surprised." Lucy flatly said, "Lisa is always invading our privacy, especially in the bathroom..."

"We'll just have to accept it, she is offering help after all. By the way, how did things go with Lana?"

Lucy told Lincoln what had happened with Lana starting to add to the attic's foundation and ending up touching the mirror with nothing happening.

"...so she didn't phase through the mirror like us?"

"If she did, she wouldn't have been at dinner."

"Oh yeah...well, we'll still have to watch out for the others..." Lincoln looked around the attic, impressed with Lana's craftsmanship. It was a far cry from a finished room but at least it didn't look as though the walls would fall apart at any second.

"Assistance!" Lisa called from downstairs, "I require assistance!"

"I'll be right there!" Lincoln quickly went down the attic steps to find Lisa struggling with two large metal briefcases in the hallway. He grabbed one of them and lifted it up to find it being rather heavy, "Jeez! How did you managed to get it up this far?" he asked.

The child genius rolled her eyes, "Matter transporter, but that's not important right now. Help me get these up to the attic."

Lincoln heaved the briefcase he had up the stairway and set it on the floor of the attic.

"Take this one too." Lisa ordered, holding up the other briefcase, "I forgot something in my room." Lincoln grabbed the case while Lisa hurried back to her room, he brought it up with him, placing it next to the first one. Lisa then walked up into the attic herself carrying a laptop.

Lucy looked over the briefcases, "...so you want us to use these heavy cases?"

"Correction: I want you to use what's _inside_ the heavy cases..." Lisa scoffed as she opened up one of them. Inside the first case were two PADs surrounded by some odd silver colored material. "Go on, there's one for each of you."

Lincoln and Lucy picked up a PAD each. Lincoln turned it over in his hand while Lucy just stared at hers and waited. "So...how do these work?" Lincoln asked.

"There is a switch on the side. Flip it on to activate the PAD, then stick the activated side to your chest."

Lincoln flipped the switch, hearing a few beeps and seeing one of the sides emit a blue light. He then put the lit side against his shirt. The PAD fell onto the floor after he let go.

Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose. "I meant your _bare_ chest. It needs to attach to your flesh."

Lincoln picked up the PAD again and hesitated a bit, "Hold on, is this going to hurt?"

"Only a pinch." Lisa answered without batting an eye.

"Ah!" the two turned towards Lucy who had one hand underneath her shirt. She gritted her teeth, "Now you tell me...I hope that doesn't leave a mark."

Lincoln sighed and shoved the PAD under his shirt and onto his chest, feeling a slight pinch as it latched onto him. But soon enough, the pain went away.

Lisa booted up her laptop, and started typing away, "Good, the PADs have begun projecting their shields. Now, strap on the COMPs."

Lincoln opened up the next briefcase to see that the COMPs were packaged with similar material the PADs were packed with. The gloves were a bit big to put on, but once Lincoln and Lucy stuck their hands in, the gloves compressed to fit them perfectly. Next on were the headsets that closed tightly against the backs of their domes. Darkness filled their eyes.

"Lisa, I can't see a thing with this on!" Lincoln complained.

"Try the 'on' switch on the left side." Lisa informed.

Lincoln felt the left side of his COMP headset and found a switch. He flipped it and saw a screen turn on. First was a bunch of code Lincoln didn't understand, and went way too fast to read anyway. Then, the attic came into view. Lincoln saw that Lisa was putting on a headset herself, but her's was simply headphones and a microphone.

Lisa tapped the mic, "Testing, can you hear me?"

"We're in the same room." Lucy dryly pointed out.

"I meant over the headset."

"Loud and clear Lisa." Lincoln answered.

Lucy sighed, "Do we have to wear these? It's messing with my hair."

"Lucy, I assure you that my support will be invaluable. Messy hair is a small sacrifice to pay."

"We should get going if we want to get a head start before nightfall." Lincoln lifted the floorboard to find the space under was empty. "...Lucy, did you hide our weapons somewhere else?"

Lucy stood in place, "...I left them at that gym."

"What?"

"Nevermore got us out but we forgot to get our weapons first. They're probably still there if Lynn's reflection didn't take them."

Lincoln slapped his forehead, "I can't get one break today..."

"Come now Lincoln, I'm certain that securing your weapons will be simple enough." Lisa told him.

"We never did get much use out of them before anyway." Lucy added.

" _Yeah, you're not good with that sword anyway."_ Br'er mocked.

Lincoln groaned out of anguish, "Okay! Fine! Let's just go!" he stomped over to the mirror.

"Wait a second, hairless simian!" Lisa called, she took out a pill bottle, "You're going to need these!"

Lincoln headed back and accepted the bottle, "...more of those pills from this morning?"

Lisa nodded, "This is a much less potent batch, but they should keep you in good condition. Try not to overexert yourselves."

Lincoln pocketed the pill bottle, "Thanks Lisa, we'll be careful. Let's go Lucy."

Lucy nodded and joined him as they entered the mirror. Lisa turned back to her laptop.

" _...let's see if they got what it takes to change the world."_


	10. AN: Current Plans for Loud Reflections

_Let me start by saying thank you all for reading this fan fiction thus far. It really means a lot to know that there are people who enjoy the fun and bizarre story I've written. I especially want to thank_ **zumby101** _for his support as a writer and as a friend, he really helped with brainstorming ideas, proofreading, and giving emotional support whenever my depression really dragged me down._

 _I know I haven't updated it properly in months, in fact I've hardly at all worked on it these past four months. I even missed it's one year anniversary, how embarrassing. Things have been...difficult for me in my life this past while. I won't go into specifics, but I will say that something happened in July that sent me into a bit of a bad state that I've been stuck in that I've only recently gotten out of. That doesn't really matter now._

 _What_ does _matter is that I'm back to writing again...and I must confess something, after rereading the story up to this point, there's a lot I don't like about it. There's a lot I'd like to change, a lot more that could've been elaborated on, a lot more polish that could've been done. I don't really want to go back to edit it all, I think it's far too late for that._

 _And so, I decided to rewrite this crossover fan fiction._

 _I really like this story, and I want to make it the best it can be. I feel I NEED to rewrite it as it'll restore my writing vigor. I lost a lot of spark over the past few months and this is a chance to regain it all. Consider this to be the last chapter of this fan fic, but know that the story isn't over yet. I think I'll leave it up on the site until the rewrite is written up to the point to where it is in the story now._

 _So here's something I'd like to ask everyone before I go: If you could change a part of this crossover, or add anything to it as is, what would it be? Zumby and I have plenty of ideas ourselves, but we'd like to hear from you as we rewrite the story thus far._

 _And with that, I must be going._

 _Thank you for the motivation._

 _Thank you for everything._

 _See you all again soon._

 _-Mr. Dusk_


	11. AN: NOTICE

Persona: Loud Reflections REV _has begun._

 _Thank you for waiting._

 _-Mr. Dusk_


End file.
